Interviews in qualitative nursing research: differing approaches for ethnographic and phenomenological studies

Interviews form an essential part of data collection for many qualitative nursing studies. Information about how to individualize interview formats to meet the purpose and style of specific qualitative research approaches, however, is not readily accessible to the researcher. This paper offers an overview of use of the interviewer as an instrument in qualitative research, as well as ways in which the differing purposes and styles of ethnographic and phenomenological research approaches affect the format for the interview.