Developing and Pilot Testing a Semi-structured Interview Guide to Explore Greek Pediatric ICU Leaders’ Attitudes Toward Pediatric Organ Donation

Introduction: This study aimed to describe the development, pilot testing, and refinement of a semistructured interview guide designed to explore Greek Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) leaders' attitudes toward pediatric organ donation.Methods: The interview guide was developed through a multi-step methodological process.First, a literature review was conducted to determine conceptual and methodological appropriateness.A preliminary version of the guide was then drafted and evaluated by a committee of three academics with experience in transplantation science and one qualitative research specialist.Following approval by the institutional Bioethics Committee, three pilot interviews were conducted with senior healthcare professionals working in pediatric intensive care settings.Feedback from the pilot interviews and the expert committee informed iterative refinements to improve clarity, neutrality, and thematic coherence.Results: Pilot testing demonstrated that the guide was clear, logically structured, and acceptable to participants.Revisions primarily involved rephrasing and refining interview questions to enhance clarity, consistency, and thematic coherence.Particular attention was given to improving neutrality, avoiding presuppositions, eliciting open-ended and experience-based responses, and ensuring alignment with the study objectives.Question sequencing was also refined to enhance the overall flow of the interview.Conclusions: The final interview guide was found to be clear and suitable for use in exploring Greek PICU Leaders' attitudes toward pediatric organ donation.Its structured development process supports transparency, reproducibility, and practical usability in qualitative research conducted in pediatric intensive care environments.