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Summary
Nurses are frequently engaged in the process of sensitive interviewing, whether taking a health history, dealing with a complaint or exploring a problem with a patient. This article explains key principles in the conduct of sensitive interviewing and highlights the use of a laddered question framework that can be used to manage necessary intrusion into the patient's situation and promote understanding.
Key words
* Communication
* Interviews and interviewing
* Nurse-patient relations
* Patient-focused care
These key words are based on subject headings from the British Nursing Index. This article has been subject to double-blind review.
Aim and intended learning outcomes
In this article the reader is introduced to an ethical approach to interviewing patients. The aim is to help readers develop a more effective and sensitive approach to investigating a patient's situation. Burnard (2002) offers an additional resource in this area. After reading this article you should be able to:
* Re-examine why interviewing patients is challenging.
* Identify important dimensions of healthcare interviews.
* Explore the use of laddered questions as a means of managing interviews.
* Explain the merits of learning about patient experiences, ascribed meanings, beliefs and values as part of understanding healthcare situations.
* Evaluate your personal interviewing technique and debate possible new approaches for the future.
Healthcare communication is a complex process that is frequently underestimated by nurses (Kruijver et al 2000, Paniagua 1997). It is the medium through which care is often delivered - for example, explaining a wound dressing - and is potentially therapeutic - for example, conveying empathy and support to a patient (Crellin 1998). Communication is used in various contexts to deliver and gather information (O'Keefe et al 2001, Osborne 1999). It is used to deal with confrontation, solve problems, reassure and manage stress. One of the classic scenarios where communication is used is the interview (Lin et al 2001). Interviews are part of day-to-day health care. Managing interviews in a sensitive and effective way is one of the hallmarks of excellent health care (Purcell et al 1997).
The interview in context
Nurses make a number of distinctions between interviews and momentary communication with patients or relatives. Interviews are a formal exchange of information and are conducted when important decisions need to be...