Kỹ năng phỏng vấn General Interview Techniques

• Tasks to complete before the interview• Basic interviewing skills • Minimizing bias • Considerations during the interview • Reviewing the CRF at the end of the interview Overview of Pr

MTN-003 Training

General Interviewing Techniques

Some specific tips for administering the Screening interviewer-administered CRFs

SSP Section 14

MTN-003 Interviewer-administered

Screening CRFs

Screening Part 1 Eligibility Screening Part 1

Demographics Screening Part 1

Screening Part 2/Enrollment Behavioral Eligibility

Screening Part 2, Enrollment Visit

• Tasks to complete before the interview

• Basic interviewing skills

• Minimizing bias

• Considerations during the interview

• Reviewing the CRF at the end of the interview

Overview of Presentation

• Familiarize yourself with the interviewer-administered forms

– Read through each question – Read through form instructions

– Learn wording, definitions, skip patterns

• Review p 1-9 of Question by Question (QxQ) Guide

(End of SSP Section 14)

• Review interviewing probes (SSP Section 14.5)

• Prior to study start, complete enough role-play interviews (at least 2) among site staff until

interviewers feel comfortable administering forms

Before the interview…

• Create privacy

• Pace the interview

•Let the participant know she can tell you if the interview is going too

fast or too slow

• Get comfortable asking personal and sensitive questions

•If you are comfortable the participant will be too

• Provide encouragement

•Such as “we’re making good progress with the interview”; “you’re

giving this a good effort”

• Assure confidentiality

•Remind participant of the confidential nature of the interview

Basic Interviewing Skills

• Be attentive and respectful during the interview

• Monitor participant cues (verbal and non-verbal)

• Be careful when responding to a participant when:

• she has a negative reaction to a question (s)

• she asks questions

• she requests information

• she shares information requiring follow-up, such

as counseling or referrals

Basic Interviewing Skills

• For negative reactions

•“I know sometimes these questions can seem personal.”

•“If you are very uncomfortable you do not have to answer a question.”

• For general questions

•“That’s a great question Let me try and answer it at the end of this

interview.”

• For requests for information

•“I would be happy to give you a handout about that topic after the interview

has been completed.”

• When participant shares information that requires follow-up

•“It sounds like you have some important concerns I’d like to address them

after the interview is over.

Basic Interviewing Skills

Listening is key Providing brief,

straightforward answers is OK However …

As a general rule, interviewers should not offer feedback during the interview Do not agree with, disagree with, or correct

statements made by participants Defer general questions, information requests, and referrals until after completion of the interview.

Why is this important?

Basic Interviewing Skills

The interviewer should:

• Conduct interviews with a non-judgmental

approach

• Avoid injecting his/her personality into the

interview

• Not deviate from asking the questions the

same way for every participant

• Limit his/her influence on participant

responses

Minimizing Bias

• This will help to avoid

• “socially desirable reporting”

• collecting inaccurate data

• missing data

• possibly enrolling an ineligible participant

• For these reasons it is important that reduction counseling

risk-• occurs after the interview

• is done by a different staff member than the

one administering the form

Minimizing Bias

• Introduce yourself

• Make the participant feel comfortable

• Don’t read CRF titles or question numbers

• Vary tone of voice to avoid sounding automated

• Emphasize bolded words to convey meaning

• Read all introductory statements

• Read the questions in the order in which they appear on the assessment

• Read each item word-for-word to all participants in all interviews

• When clarification is needed, repeat the item and/or response categories or ask the participant to give her best answer

During the interview …

• Use probing techniques (SSP Section 14.5)

• Probing is a technique used to

• report something more precisely

During the interview …

Effective probing should not:

• bias a participant’s responses

• judge a participant’s responses

Therefore, all probes

must be neutral.

Interviewing Probes (SSP Section 14.5)

Interviewing Probes cont

Repeat Probe

The repeat probe is used by repeating the item or response categories (if the response categories are a part of the question).

Let me repeat the

Interviewing Probes cont

Silent Probe

The silent probe is used by pausing briefly after a participant gives what seems to be an uncertain answer.

Non-verbal Probe

The non-verbal probe is used by giving hand or facial gestures that may help the participant with a

response.

If I am quiet I can give her

extra time to think about

her response.

Interviewing Probes cont

The historical probe is used by asking whether the event

in question occurred anytime around major holidays or personal events. This helps with recall of dates (e.g., when capturing medical history and medication use)

Let’s look at a calendar.

• Watch for skip patterns - It is extremely

important for the interviewers to be very familiar with these forms before conducting his/her first interview

During the interview …

• When possible, clarify inconsistent

- Each interviewer should be familiar with responses requiring consistency before

conducting his/her first interview

During the interview …

• Use appropriate visual aid when prompted

During the interview …

• Make sure participant understands time

frame in question

During the interview …

• Pay attention to notes re: participant’s study

eligibility

During the interview …

If a participant gives a response during an eligibility assessment that indicates she is not eligible for the study, what should the interviewer do?

During the interview …

At the end of the interview …

• Review completed questionnaires while

participant is still with the interviewer

This way, errors and inconsistencies can

be addressed with the participant before she leaves.

• Each questionnaire is a source

document – responses cannot be added

or clarified once the participant has left

It is important that all interviews be standardized within and across study visits and study sites!

Questions?