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Table 3 Interview guide

From: Implementing a new emergency department: a qualitative study of health professionals’ change responses and perceptions

Themes

Questions

Introduction

Thank you for your participation, written and oral consent

Introduction of the research project and purpose

Information about anonymity, confidentiality, recording, structure, and duration of the interview

 

Introduction – About you

What is your job title and for how long have you been employed at the hospital?

What is your role in relation to the establishment of the new ED?

Experiences with organizational changes

What are your experiences with other changes in your professional life?

What kind of changes has succeeded? And why do you think they succeeded?

What kind of changes has not succeeded? What went wrong?

The forthcoming implementation of the new ED

How do your previous experiences with change differ from the change you are facing with the establishment of the new ED?

How would you describe your general attitude towards the new ED?

Preparation of the implementation

Please describe your thoughts and considerations in connection with the establishment of the new ED.

What are the biggest benefits of establishing the new ED? (What are you looking forward to?)

What do you see as the biggest organizational disadvantages of establishing the new ED?

What do you get out of the new ED? What must you relinquish?

What are your considerations on the physical framework of the new ED? (Worries and benefits)

Are there certain physical conditions (e.g. rooms, appliances, etc.) that you find particularly important to be present in the new ED?

Are there certain social conditions (e.g. events or activities) that you find particularly important to be present in the new ED?

Optional:

How will the ED influence your workflows and ways of working together/interacting?

What did you think when you first heard about the new ED?

Opinions about the process of implementing a new ED

Do you experience a predominantly negative or positive attitude towards the upcoming ED among your colleagues? (How is it expressed?)

In your experience, what are the employees occupied with in connection to the establishment of the new ED? (What kind of questions do they ask? And what do you answer them?)

What stories are told in your department when the new ED is discussed (among employees and managers)? (Do you find that attitudes to (or reactions) vary according to (or are related to) the employees' professional background?)

Ideal conditions for change

What does it take for the new ED to succeed? What do you need?

What do you want to do to make the transition to the new ED as good as possible for yourself and your co-workers?

Do you do anything to convince your employees/colleagues that the new ED is a good/bad thing? If so - what do you do? And why?

Communication and information about the implementation of the new ED

How do you experience the atmosphere when the new ED is discussed with representatives from other departments at the hospital? (Optional: What words do people use about the process?)

Who has the mandate in your department to make final decisions regarding the establishment of the new ED? (In relation todesign, organization, etc.) (Optional: Who do you think should have the mandate to make the final decisions regarding the establishment and organization of the new ED?)

To what extent do you and your management team feel that you have an influence on the establishment of the new ED?

Do you feel involved in the process? In what ways? How would you like to be involved?

Is it your experience that there are decisions regarding the new ED that you are not involved in, but where you wish to be involved?

How can you leave your mark on the new ED?

Rounding off and thanks

Do you have something on your mind? (Anything you think we need to know?)