Conducting research interviews with elderly people by telephone.
Telephone interviews were employed by nurse researchers as a means of collecting data from elderly people following their discharge from hospital. The paper reviews the literature concerning interviews with elderly patients by telephone and recounts first-hand experience of the method on the basis of over 500 telephone interviews. Although some difficulties were encountered in conducting interviews with the hearing-impaired and the unwell, the method was found to be a cost-effective and useful means of obtaining follow-up data for research purposes. The prime factor in ensuring successful use of the method was the recruitment of subjects via personal interview prior to telephone contact.
Worth
A
A
Nursing Research Unit, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Tierney
A J
AJ
D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003625:Data Collection / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006304:Health Status; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D010351:Patient Discharge; D013689:Telephone