Attachment A-Procedures informant interviews-2012-04-05

Attachment A

USRT Study

Fourth Survey: Procedures for Key Informant Interviews

April 4, 2012

At the request of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the University of Minnesota (UMN) developed procedures for conducting key informant interviews with a small sample of cohort members who previously participated in the U.S. Radiologic Technologists Study. The goal of the interview was to evaluate selected questions from the three questionnaire modules (Core questionnaire, Fluoroscopy-Guided module and Nuclear Medicine module) that are being developed for a planned fourth survey of the USRT cohort.

Approval was obtained from the UMN IRB to conduct key informant interviews focused on evaluating the questions and the format of the instruments (not collecting data). After an initial letter of invitation and a phone call from a study interviewer, technologists who agreed to participate were mailed one of the three questionnaires. Participants were asked to review selected questions as if they were going to fill-out the questionnaire, and later participate in a telephone interview to provide their feedback and comments on the questions. A week later, the respondents were contacted by a UMN interviewer who conducted the key informant debriefing interview.

Samples of fewer than 10 participants each were selected and contacted to evaluate different subsets of questions from the questionnaire modules (see below). The questions asked in the debriefing interviews focused on comprehension, terminology, response categories, recall, formatting and layout; other comments volunteered by respondents were also captured. All groups were asked to provide overall impressions/comments. The specific questions asked of the different groups of individuals were:

1. Core Module

   1. Work history (#7-14), birth, infancy, and medical history (#28-33), night shift work (#46-47)

   2. Personal medical radiation (#19-21)

   3. Physical activity (#34-35), sleep patterns (#36-40), vitamin use (#41), sunlamp and tanning booth use (#42-43), sun exposure and protection (#44-45)

2. Nuclear Medicine Procedures Module (all questions were covered at least in general terms)

3. Fluoroscopically-Guided Procedures Module (all questions were covered at least in general terms)

Copies of the debriefing interview documents are attached. The completed interviews were reviewed and summarized by UMN staff, and recommendations for revising questions were provided to NCI. See Attachment B for subsequent revisions made to the modules.

1 U of MN/4-4-12