Table 1 Structure and example questions used for the provider interviews

Participant Information

• What is your Profession or role in supporting end of life care?

• How many years have you been in practice?

• Gender: M/F

• Please briefly describe your practice?

Persona Information

Interviewer provides information about the patient case and then about each of the specific scenarios. This repeats for each of the two cases, with questions below being asked for each scenario.

Scenario Questions (For each scenario of each persona)

• Who would have engaged you in this patient’s care (e.g. another provider, patient themselves)?

• How would they have communicated to you the need for your involvement?

• Where would you gather information about this patient (e.g. do you have a referral letter, chart, patient themselves)?

• What information do you often need that is missing for patients like this?

• Would you access information from another electronic record/electronic system?

• From your experience, who else would be engaged in < PERSONA NAME > 's care at this point? (Please describe the various provider roles you would expect to be involved)

Communication Questions

The questions below would be asked or each role described involved in the patients care above:

• What role are they playing in the care of our patient at this point?

• How do you communicate with this provider?

• (Describe what you communicate)

• When does this happen?

• How do they communicate with you?

• (Describe what they communicate)

• Which methods of communication are most important to you to ensure Continuity of Care?

• If you do not communicate directly with this provider, should you?

 ○ If yes, please tell me why it would be important?

 ○ If No, please tell me why would it not be important?

• How can you improve Continuity of Care with this provider?

• How could the provider improve Continuity of Care with you?