KeyStakeholder Interviewer Guide—Massachusetts

In an effort to standardize the interview process across communities, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health developed the following questions that any community may use when conducting these interviews. This guide is intended for theindividual(s) conductingthe keystakeholderinterview and should not bedistributed to thekeystakeholders.

Notes:

  • Instructions to interviewers appear in brackets.
  • All questions and probesshould be answered (even if onlybya“don’t know”).It is not necessaryto ask aprobe if the respondent hasalreadyprovided aresponse in his orher answer to thegeneral question orto another probe.
  • Ask the questions/probesin theorder shown.
  • You mayadd questions,but do so onlyafter item 9 and ask item 10 beforeconcludingthe interview.
  • Begin with introductions as needed.
  • Explain thatyou willbetakingnotesand audio-recordingtheinterview.Discuss the respondent’s option of“goingoff the record.”
  • Ask, “Doyou have anyquestions about how the interviewisgoingto work?”Answerall questions the respondentmayhavebeforeproceedingto thequestions below.

Part I:Assessmentof the Issue

(1)Howwouldyou describe thenonmedical use of prescription drugsituation in the community?

Probes: What is the severityof theissue?Howhas the issue changed overtime?Whois misusingor abusing(age, gender, race)?What arethe consequences of use/misuse?When are the use and consequences occurring(specific days of theweek or times)? Wherearethe use and consequences occurring? What arethe factors thatdrivethe problem?

(2)What impact, if any,havethe misuse andabuseofprescription drugs in the communityhad on the functioningofyour agency/organization?

Probes: Howmuch of a burden has this placed onyour agency/organization?Howhas itmade yourjob harder? [Notethat this information maybeuseful in recruitingtherespondent’s support foryour initiative.]

Part II:StepstoAddresstheIssue

(3)What hasyour organization done, if anything,to address nonmedical useof prescription drugs in thecommunity?

Probes: Howwellhavethese efforts worked?Did you work with anyother agencies/organizations in the communityon this?[If so] Which organization(s), and howand how welldidyou work together?

(4)What doyou think should be doneto address themisuse and abuseof prescription drugs in the community?

Part III:ReadinesstoAddresstheIssue

(5)What isyourassessment ofthe level ofreadiness withinyour agency/organization to address the occurrenceof misuseand abuseofprescription drugs in thecommunity?

Probes: What is the level of interest in the issue? What is the level of willingness to address the issue?What factors would facilitate this work (e.g., what resources areavailable)? What factors might undermineorcomplicate this work?

(6)What isyourassessment ofthe level ofreadiness in the communityat largeto address the occurrenceof misuse andabuseofprescription drugs?

Probes: Who arethe leaders/champions of this issue? What is the level of interest in the issue? What is the level of willingness to address theissue? What factors would facilitate this work (e.g., what resources areavailable)?What factors might undermineorcomplicate this work?

Part IV:Dataon theIssue

(7)What data are collected by your agency/organization, if any, that mighthelp inform our assessment ofnonmedical use ofprescription drugs in the communityor related factors?

Probes: Howarethe data collected?Howoften arethe datacollected?How recent arethe data? Wherearethe current datagaps?Arethere anyproblems with the data?How would wego about gettingpermission to access thedata?

Part V:Resourcesto AddresstheIssue

(8)What role, if any, wouldyour agency/organization bewillingto playinour efforts to reduce misuse and abuseofprescription drugs in thecommunity?

(9)What other individuals doyou think weshouldtalk to in order to obtain moreinformation about misuse and abuseof prescription drugs in the community?

Probes: Arethereanyother individuals inyour agency/organization that weshould talk to?

Part VI:Additional Comments,Observations,orQuestions

(10)Doyou have anyother comments or observationsyou would liketo make?

Probes: Doyou have anyquestions about this project?