Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies

Malterud, Kirsti; Siersma, Volkert; Guassora, Ann Dorrit

doi:10.1177/1049732315617444

Cited by 5,772 publications

(4,649 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Two focus groups of eight participants were deemed to provide sufficient information power for an exploratory analysis, where the ambition was not to cover the entire array of phenomena, but to discern patterns relevant for the study aim [30]. After initial analysis, the two groups were found to provide similar information, hence no further data collection was made.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trustingly bewildered. How first-year medical students make sense of their learning experience in a traditional, preclinical curriculum

Schei

Johnsrud

Mildestvedt

et al. 2018

Medical Education Online

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Background: Traditional preclinical curricula based on memorization of scientific facts constitute learning environments which may negatively influence both factual understanding and professional identity development in medical students. Little is known of how students themselves experience and interpret such educational milieus.Objective: To investigate first-year medical students’ view of the physician role, and their perception of the relevance and quality of teaching in a science-based preclinical curriculum.Design: Focus group interviews with thematic text analysis.Results: Students portrayed the good physician as communicative, humble, and open, combining biomedical knowledge and moral strength. When asked how medical school supported the development of such characteristics, two partly contradictory discourses emerged. The critical discourse identified decontextualized knowledge, poor pedagogy, lack of critical thinking, and contact with faculty. Students who voiced critical comments also articulated trust that the system would provide the competence they needed, that basic biological knowledge is needed before clinical practice, and that being on your own conveys freedom and responsibility, and helps you grow up.Conclusion: Trust in the educational system, within a substandard learning environment, created cognitive dissonance that students resolved through rationalization, whereby they negated that factual overload and lack of relevance, reflection, and personal feedback was problematic. The cost of this mechanism is possibly that inferior teaching is perceived as normal, necessary, and good enough. If so, these future physicians’ ability to critically evaluate and create quality in medical education and practice, may be weakened.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trustingly bewildered. How first-year medical students make sense of their learning experience in a traditional, preclinical curriculum

Schei

Johnsrud

Mildestvedt

et al. 2018

Medical Education Online

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, after 15 interviews, we did not receive any new information about the topic of interest. We therefore concluded that we had achieved saturation, and no more healers were included in the study [46]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“The prayer circles in the air”: a qualitative study about traditional healer profiles and practice in Northern Norway

Langås-Larsen

Salamonsen²,

Kristoffersen

2018

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

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In Northern Norway, traditional healing has been preserved by passing down the knowledge through generations. Religious prayers of healing (reading) and Sami rituals (curing) are examples of methods that are used. We have examined traditional healers’ understanding of traditional healing, the healing process and their own practice, as well as what characteristics healers should have. Semi-structured individual interviews and focus group interviews were conducted among 15 traditional healers in two coastal Sami municipalities in Norway. The traditional healers understood traditional healing as the initiation of the patient’s self-healing power. This power was initiated through healing rituals and explained as the power of God and placebo effect. During the healing ritual, the doctor’s medical diagnoses, the patient’s personal data and a prayer in the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit were used in combination with steel and elements from the nature. The traditional healers stated that they had to be trustworthy, calm and mentally strong. Healers who claimed that they had supernatural abilities (clairvoyant or warm hands) were regarded as extra powerful. According to the participants in this study, the healers must be trustworthy, calm and mentally strong. Moreover, these traditional healers drew on information from conventional medicine when performing their rituals.

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“…We wanted information from all the different healthcare professionals who worked in the healthcare service in the communities. However, after 32 interviews we did not gather any new information and decided to finish the inclusion process [43]. All interviews except two were conducted at the participants’ workplaces.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“There are more things in heaven and earth!” How knowledge about traditional healing affects clinical practice: interviews with conventional health personnel

Langås-Larsen

Salamonsen

Kristoffersen

et al. 2017

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

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People with Sami and Norwegian background are frequent users of traditional folk medicine (TM). Traditional healing, such as religious prayers of healing (reading) and the laying on of hands, are examples of commonly used modalities. The global aim of this study is to examine whether health personnel’s knowledge, attitudes and experiences of traditional healing affect their clinical practice. Semi-structured individual interviews (n=32) and focus group interviews (n=2) were conducted among health personnel in two communities in Northern Norway. The text data was transcribed verbatim and analysed based on the criteria for content analysis. Six themes were identified. The participants had acquired their knowledge of traditional healing through their childhood, adolescence and experience as health personnel in the communities. They all expressed that they were positive to the patients’ use of traditional healing. They justified their attitudes, stating that “there are more things in heaven and earth” and they had faith in the placebo effects of traditional healing. The health personnel respected their patients’ faith and many facilitated the use of traditional healing. In some cases, they also applied traditional healing tools if the patients asked them to do so. The health personnel were positive and open-minded towards traditional healing. They considered reading as a tool that could help the patients to handle illness in a good way. Health personnel were willing to perform traditional healing and include traditional tools in their professional toolkit, even though these tools were not documented as evidence-based treatment. In this way they could offer their patients integrated health services which were tailored to the patients’ treatment philosophy.

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Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies

Cited by 5,772 publications

References 18 publications

Trustingly bewildered. How first-year medical students make sense of their learning experience in a traditional, preclinical curriculum

Trustingly bewildered. How first-year medical students make sense of their learning experience in a traditional, preclinical curriculum

“The prayer circles in the air”: a qualitative study about traditional healer profiles and practice in Northern Norway

“There are more things in heaven and earth!” How knowledge about traditional healing affects clinical practice: interviews with conventional health personnel

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