“Being empathetic, being accommodating, not only to the person you’re talking to, but also to yourself“– a qualitative study on preparing and conducting interviews with palliative care patients

Abstract

This study explores the necessary considerations for preparing and conducting qualitative interviews with palliative care patients and their relatives. Palliative care patients are considered a vulnerable group, which raises ethical and methodological challenges for researchers. The study aims to address these challenges by emphasizing the importance of the relationship between researcher and participant, sensitive communication, and continuous self-reflection throughout the research process. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals in the field of palliative care. The results highlight four major themes that are constantly interacting and interrelated: relationship, communication, self-reflection and research framework. These factors are crucial in balancing the needs of participants with the demands of qualitative research. The findings suggest that a patient-centred, needs-oriented approach is fundamental to the collection of high-quality data, while simultaneously ensuring the well-being of both participants and researchers.