6.3 The Interview
Andrea Chute, Sharon Johnston, Brandi Pawliuk (adapted by Brock Cook)
Learning Objectives
- distinguish between primary and secondary sources of data collection
- distinguish between subjective and objective data
- identify examples of subjective and objective methods of data collection.
The client interview is essential to client care and involves several sources. It involves communicating with the client, considered the primary source, to collect subjective data (i.e., information that the client shares with you or the client’s family or friends. Including statements, feelings and experiences). The client interview may also collect secondary data from family, friends, care partners, and other healthcare providers. It is part of your assessment in which you learn about the client and combine these collected data with objective data (factual information collected through observation, measurement, and diagnostic procedures).
As a health professional, you must ensure that professional standards of practice inform the client interview because therapeutic communication and relationships are the foundation of an effective client interview. To meet this standard, you must think carefully about communicating during the client interview.
Effective communication plays a crucial role, especially in interviews which are often the starting point for therapeutic measures. The ability to discern and understand a client’s issues hinges on their willingness to share information, making it vital for health professionals to develop skills in building relationships that foster open and comprehensive data gathering. Inadequate information can significantly hinder the provision of efficient healthcare. For instance, clients might withhold certain information if they sense a lack of interest or concern, or due to fear of judgment, thereby limiting the healthcare professional’s capacity to address their health needs effectively.
The objective of an interview shapes its structure and content. Depending on the client’s specific health requirements and their reasons for seeking care, interviews can range from brief and targeted to extensive and thorough. The setting where the interview takes place, such as a clinic, acute care, or primary care environment, also influences its purpose. Regardless of the interview’s goal, there are key principles and methods that should be integrated into the interview process, which will be elaborated on in the following sections.
Activity: Check Your Understanding
Points for Consideration
Care partners
The term care partners refers to family, friends, or paid companions who are involved in helping to care for the client. They may be called informal caregivers or family caregivers, but care partners is a more inclusive term that acknowledges their role’s energy, work, and importance.
Key Takeaways
- The client interview is an important component of client care and involves several sources.
- The client is considered the primary source of data.
- Family, friends, care partners, or healthcare team members are secondary data sources.
- Data collected from the client is considered subjective data.
- Data collected through observation, examination, or procedures are considered objective data.
Exercises
Attribution Statement
Content adapted, with editorial changes, from:
Chute, A., Johnson, S., & Pawliuk, B. (2023). Professional communication skills for health studies. MacEwan Open Books. https://doi.org/10.31542/b.gm.3. Used under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Lapum, J., St.-Amant, O., Hughes, M., & Garmaise-Yee, J. (Eds.). (2020). Introduction to communication in nursing. Toronto Metropolitan University Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca/communicationnursing/. Used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence.
Lapum, J., St.-Amant, O., Hughes, M., Petrie, P., Morrell, S., & Mistry, S. (Eds.). (n.d.). The complete subjective health assessment. eCampus Ontario. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/healthassessment/. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
