Supplement Digital Content 1. Interview Guide
[Read to Veteran following consent process]
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study.
I’m going to ask you some questions about the things that you might do for your health. We want to use this information to make it easier for Veterans like you to participate in their health care. My questions will be open- ended. We are interested in your personal experience, so there are no right or wrong answers.
Please try not to use your name or any other information that could identify yourself such as your birth date or contact information.
Do you have any questions about the study?
If you need to take a break let me know and we can stop.
I’m going to start the recorder now.
We’re going to cover three main topic areas in this interview:
First, we want to understand what you know about your health conditions and how you learn about them.
Next, we’ll ask about how you communicate with your providers.
Finally, I’ll have some questions about how you manage your health conditions and your health care.
I’m going to talk about health and health conditions very broadly: this could be your medical conditions, mental health, how well you can function day to day, or your general well-being.
Any questions?
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My first question is very broad: Can you tell me a little bit about your health conditions or any concerns you have about your health?
Listen for key phrases to refer to in subsequent questions
Can you tell me about any goals you might have for your health? This could have to do with staying healthy, improving your symptoms, or avoiding getting more sick.
Health Information-Related Behavior
Sometimes people are interested in learning more about their health issues and how to get care for them.
They may ask family or friends, read information that is given to them, or look for information in other places. What do you do?
(note: term “health information” less useful)
Optional f/u questions (as needed to elicit example):
• Are there people you ask when you are not sure what to do about a health problem?
• Do you look for more information when you are not sure what treatment might work best for you?
• How do you figure out what kind of care you need, and how to get it?
• How about finding out about test results / following-up on referrals your provider has made / getting an appointment when you need one?
Probes - Efficacy
• How does that work for you?
• Can you tell be about a time when this was easier or more difficult for you?
• Overall, do you feel like you can find out what you need to?
Only if still needed to elicit examples:
Probes - Expectancies
• Is more information useful when you try to (behavior)? How so?
• Would anything make this more or less useful?
Probes - Capability
• Have you had to learn new things? What was that like?
Is there anything about being a Veteran that has an impact on the things you just talked about?
3 Shared Decision Making
The next area I want to talk about is how you make decisions about your care with your health care providers.
This could be any doctor, nurse, psychologist or therapist that you might see as part of your health care.
Note: any communication is OK, not just face to face; e.g. health coach that calls on the phone is OK
Who is your most important health care provider?
(or who is seen most often, or who is seen for chief health concern)
If needed, use additional questions, using phrases that participant used to describe health conditions or concerns:
• Have you ever had to make a tough choice with your provider about your treatment? How did that work?
• What about when you don’t think a treatment or medication is working well? How about other questions or concerns?
• If needed, What about communication with other providers like specialists?
Probes - Efficacy
• How comfortable do you feel doing this? Can you tell be about a time when this was easier or more difficult for you?
• Overall, do you feel like you work with your provider in the way you would like to?
Only if still needed to elicit examples:
Probes - Expectancies
• Do you find it useful to do this? How so?
• Would there be a big impact on your health if you didn’t do this?
Probes - Capability
• Have you had to learn new things or change some of your habits? What was that like?
Is there anything about being a Veteran that has an impact on the things you just talked about?
4 Self-Management
You mentioned…[condition, concerns]. What are some of the things you do to prevent or reduce problems with [condition, concerns]?
Optional f/u questions (as needed to elicit example):
If possible, use phrases that participant used to describe health conditions or concerns:
• Do you do anything to try and stay healthy? Like trying to eat healthy, exercise, or anything else?
• Are you on any medications that help you manage your health conditions? Do you do anything special to make sure you take them like you are supposed to? Tell me about that.
• Do you do anything to keep track of your symptoms so you can tell if things are getting better or worse?
Can you tell me a little about that?
Probes - Efficacy
• How comfortable do you feel doing this? Can you tell be about a time when this was easier or more difficult for you?
• Overall, do you feel like you manage your symptoms as well as you would like to?
If Needed:
Probes - Expectancies
• Do you feel you can make an impact on your symptoms / health?
• Are there things a provider has suggested you do, but you are not sure?
Probes - Capability
• Have you had to learn new things or change some of your habits? What was that like?
Is there anything about being a Veteran that has an impact on the things you just talked about?
Those are the three areas that we wanted to cover. Before we wrap up let me quickly review and make sure that I covered the topics that we wanted to learn about from your experience.
[Pause and review the grid, as f/u questions if needed]
Is there anything else that you feel it’s important to tell me about?
Are there any questions that I should have asked but didn’t?
Thank you so much for your time today.
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