Perioperative use of the hands-free technique: a semistructured interview study

AORN Journal,  August, 2006  by Bernadette Stringer,  Ted Haines,  C.H. Goldsmith,  Jennifer Blythe,  Kenneth A. Harris

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

DATA COLLECTION

One researcher and a research assistant held interviews during the summer and fall of 2003 and the spring of 2004. Interviews continued until we determined that thematic saturation was reached. The respondents signed and completed consent forms that were distributed by fax. These consent forms also were used to gather demographic information on the respondents (ie, age, specialty practiced, location of training, location of practice). We then scheduled semistructured telephone interviews with the respondents. Nineteen interviews were recorded and were transcribed by a research assistant who was supervised by the research team's medical anthropologist and the principal investigator. The 20th interview was conducted, recorded, and transcribed by a newly recruited medical anthropologist hired to complete data analysis and interpretation. Each interviewee who participated in the survey received an honorarium of $100 US or Canadian.

During each interview, we followed specific, established guidelines. (24,25) The study participants were asked a series of questions that were designed to prompt discussion of the issues of interest to the research team. These questions were general enough to allow for the discussion of individual experiences and to introduce new perspectives. From the review of the literature and a previous HFT study carried out by the principal investigator, one of the researchers and the principal investigator developed questions that were intended to elicit the expression of a broad spectrum of attitudes towards use of the HFT and other related issues.

We asked interviewees what surgical items they considered to be sharp and what their usual practice was for passing sharp items during surgery. Depending on the answers to these questions, we probed further to determine whether the respondent knew about or could define the HFT. If an interviewee was familiar with the technique, we asked how he or she had learned about it. If an interviewee responded that the HFT was used some of the time during the surgical procedures in which he or she participated, we also asked

* which surgical team member usually decided that it would be used,

* how implementation of the HFT was usually carried out,

* what factors identified by the respondent encouraged or discouraged HFT use,

* what suggestions the respondent had about how to increase HFT use,

* what his or her perception was of the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, and

* whether the respondent routinely used other measures to reduce personal risk from passing and handling sharp items during surgery.

After the first two interviews, we confirmed that these questions were sufficient to solicit the desired variety of opinions and answers needed.

DATA ANALYSIS

The research assistant and principal investigator developed a coding strategy and carried out preliminary coding. Several interview texts then were coded independently by the research assistant and two of the researchers. We compared results to ensure consistency and resolved differences by consensus. We then coded the remaining texts. As coding proceeded, certain themes became evident--some based on frequency of occurrence and others by the level of emphasis in individual interviews. We developed codes and associated texts using QSR-N6 software. (26)