Three types of interviews: Qualitative research methods in social health

Interviewing is a primary way of collecting data in qualitative research to direct the participant in responding to a specific research question. In diabetes, this may include “what are the reasons that have contributed to your success in diabetes self-management” or “how do you believe stress impacts your blood glucose?” Three types of interviews are common in social health: (1) Structured; (2) semi-structured; and (3) narrative interview. These range in a format including specified sets of questions to the telling of patient stories in an organic way. This paper describes the differences between these types of interviews and examples of each related to diabetes research.