title: Computer-based and live interviews on problem drinking: users' attitudes.
abstract: Some studies of computerized interviews particularly those that deal with personally sensitive topics demonstrate that people have a preference for automated interviews versus live interviews. To explore this phenomenon, we administered four open-ended questions after participants were screened for problem drinking by both an automated and a human telephone interviewer. Both interviews administered AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) for assessing problem drinking. Individuals were recruited into the study who responded to ads in daily papers. Sixty-two percent of the participants preferred the human interviewer and only 3% among these expressed a concern about confidentiality of the interview. Among the 22% who preferred the automated interview, 32% indicated confidentiality as a reason for their preference.
authors.affiliation: Medical Information Systems Unit, Boston University & Boston Medical Center, MA, USA. rfarzanf@bu..edu
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Farzanfar
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Migneault
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marks
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003201:Computers; D003219:Confidentiality; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone