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About the Center > Needs Assessment > In-Depth Interviews > Conducting Medical Expert Interviews

Conducting Medical Expert Interviews

The success of medical expert interviews depends greatly on the type of expert recruited. The best input usually comes from health care providers who:

  • are "rebels" in their field, who can rise above the politics and party-line of their establishment or profession;
  • are willing to think about unconventional, non-standard ways of meeting patients' needs; and
  • know the disease area well, but are not narrow in their understanding and focus. They look at the larger picture and understand that medical treatment is only one portion of caring for the whole person.

Sample questions to ask medical experts:

  1. Spend a few minutes thinking about what it's like to be an asthma patient.
    • What do they need to know most?
    • What support do they need?
    • What behavior changes will they need to make?
    • Which behavior changes are the most difficult?
    • What are some key decisions they will have to make as patients and as families?
    • Which are the most difficult?
  2. Think about the asthma patients you see and treat. What are some of the most frustrating things you deal with, from a doctor's perspective?
  3. What are some of the major barriers to being able to more effectively care for patients with asthma?
  4. If CHESS could resolve one issue in order to benefit the overall care of your asthma patients, what would it be?

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