Patient Provider Interview Analysis Paper

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COMM 310 – Module 2 Writing Assignment
Patient/Provider Interview Analysis Paper
Assignment Overview:
For your first paper, you will explore the experiences of either a health care provider or patient. To do
this, you will collect, summarize, and then analyze an interview that you conduct with either 1) a health
care professional, like a physician, nurse, CNA, etc. who works directly with patients, or 2) a person who
has/had a serious medical issue, like a chronic illness or serious injury, that required extensive interaction
with health care providers. (If you are uncertain about whether someone will be an appropriate
interviewee, email me ASAP to get verification. Selecting a good and appropriate interviewee is
important for writing a strong paper.)
Paper Components:
Begin this assignment by reading all of the module 2 chapters. Next, locate an appropriate interviewee
and write a list of several relevant interview questions that are informed by the readings. The questions
you ask are up to you, but they should generate enough information on which to base a 4-6 page paper
(see some examples of interview questions are provided below). When conducting your interview, take
careful notes (or record the interview, but only if your interviewee agrees to be recorded).
With the information you have collected, you will write a paper. The paper should include: 1) a brief
summary/overview of what you learned from your interviewee; 2) an analysis of the information your
interviewee shared that draws direct connections to content in module 2 chapters and at least one
additional credible, peer-reviewed source1
(cite sources in APA or MLA style); and 3) a reflection on 3-
4 lessons that can be learned from your interviewees experiences and communication.
A note about the analysis portion of your paperthis should be the bulk of your paper, and it should be
clear from reading your analysis that you have completed and understand the readings and have the ability
to apply what you have read by making thoughtful/relevant connections between the textbook and the
information collected during your interview. Thus, do not simply list questions and answers in your
paper. Instead, synthesize the information in your analysis by reflecting upon, contextualizing, and/or
explaining things that your interviewee shared and then relating it directly the course material by drawing
direct connections between interview information and assigned module 2 chapters, identifying larger
themes or issues that emerged in the interview, and explaining experiences using the text and additional
source.
The paper will be 1000-1500 words in length (it should be no less than 1000 words, and it should be no
longer than 1500 words). Your paper must contain the following:
1. an introductory paragraph that captures the readers attention and provides some indication of what
your paper will discuss;
2. a brief overview of who you interviewed, why you chose this person, and a short/concise summary or
synopsis of the interview as a whole (no more than 1 page);

1 A scholarly, peer-reviewed research article comes from a . Government webpages,
educational webpages, and news articles do not count as peer-reviewed academic articles. Peer-reviewed articles are
written by experts, undergo a in which the article is reviewed by other experts who do not
know who the author is, which makes the articles research and points more valid and credible. There are many
examples of peer-reviewed academic journal articles in the Supplemental Readings folder, and you are welcome
to use one of them. I will not accept government, educational, or ; news articles; etc.
in place of this scholarly journal article; however, you are welcome to reference more than the two required sources
(i.e., your textbook and one scholarly journal article) in your paper. If youre not sure whether a source qualifies as a
scholarly journal article, email me with the link or source and I will be able to tell you if it does or does not.
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3. an analysis of your interviewees experiences that draws from and connect to the module 2 readings
and at least one additional source (see above), with all paraphrases and quotes properly cited (in APA
or MLA format)–the analysis will be the bulk/majority/focus of your paper;
4. a discussion 3-4 best practices/recommendations/lessons learned (for improving communication,
emulating good communication practices, and/or etc.) based on the interviewees experiences (about
2-3 paragraphs);
5. a concluding paragraph that reiterates the papers content and brings the paper to a good close; and
6. a reference page (you will be citing the textbook and using at least one additional credible, peerreviewed scholarly journal article in your analysis).
Your reference page is not included in 1000-1500 word length requirement for this paper. Additionally,
headers, footers, a cover page (if you include one) is not included in the word requirement. Please do not
put your name on your paperit will appear automatically in the Speed Grades. Your paper must also
follow the formatting guidelines described in the syllabus.
Grading:
I will be looking for (and your score will be based on) the following:
1. Conciseness and completeness of your interviewee introduction and summary. This section should
make it clear who you interviewed, why you interviewed this person, and offer a brief
synopsis/summary of the interview. It will be concise, complete but sufficiently detailed, and no
longer than 250 words). (10% of paper grade)
2. Thoughtfulness of the analysis. This will the longest part of your paper. Your analysis should be
thoughtful/insightful, providing examples from the interview and making direct connections between
these and the course content (i.e., textbook and at least one additional credible source). A thoughtful
analysis will provide sufficient detail and discuss how the interviewees experiences and perspectives
reflect, contradict, reinforce, or challenge the material (readings and additional source) covered in
module 2. Please clearly define/explain the concepts you use in your analysis so that your
understanding of them is clear. (55% of paper grade)
3. Thoughtfulness of the best practices/recommendations/lessons learned. The paper should offer 3-4
thoughtful suggestions for future communication. These may highlight communication practices to
emulate, suggestions for improving communication, etc. (15% of paper grade)
4. General writing skills. Paper reflects college-level writing. Information taken from sources (i.e., the
textbook and additional source(s)) was cited correctly. (Failure to cite information correctly (i.e.,
plagiarized information) will result in either a significant point deduction or no credit (a 0) for this
assignment.) (20% of paper grade)
If you have questions, concerns, or if anything in the above instructions is unclear, please email me as
soon as possible.
Formatting this paper (see Submitting & Formatting Written Assignments in syllabus): “Format your
papers in the following way: type them on letter-sized paper (8.5 inches x 11 inches) with 1 inch margins
on all four sides; use a standard, black font (Times New Roman is preferred) that is no larger than a 12-
point size; use no more an no less than double-spacing. Do not put your name on the first page of your
paperit will appear in the Speed Grader.”
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Sample Questions for
Here are some examples of questions you might ask a patient or health care provider for this assignment. Please note
that these are only suggestions and are meant to offer examples and ideas. You do not need to any of these questions
what you ask about is up to you, but it mustallow you to write a paper that relates to module 2 material.
For Patients:
Begin by asking for basic information about your interview like: name, age, etc.
Tell me about your [illness or injury]. (This is an open-ended questions and is meant toencourage your interviewee
to share his/her/their story. You can use prompts like Tellme more about that, to get more detail and information.)
How old were you when you were diagnosed with your illness [OR How old were youwhen you were injured]?
Who were the health care providers who cared for you [specialists, nurses, physicaltherapists, etc.]?
How did your (doctor, nurse) inform you that you had an illness [OR What did the(doctor, nurse) tell you about
your injury]?
How did the [illness or injury] affect your ability to do everyday things? Did the [illnessor injury] affect how you
felt about or saw yourself?
Tell me about your doctors communication with you.
o What kind of language/words do they use?
o What kind of nonverbal communication (touch, eye contact, etc.)?
o How did your doctors communication style make you feel?
Tell me about how you communicate as a patient. Are you assertive, passive, talkative,quiet? Why do you
communicate this way?
Did you follow your doctors orders when it came to advice and treatment? Why or whynot?
Were you satisfied with the care you received? Why or why not?
Think of your ideal health care provider, how did the one(s) you worked with during your[illness or injury]
compare to your ideal? Explain.
Is there anything else you would like to tell me?
For Providers:
Begin by asking for basic information about your interview like: name, age,career/specialty, employer, years in
this profession, etc.
Tell me why you decided to become a [insert profession herenurse, doctor, etc.] (this isan open-ended
questions and is meant to encourage your interviewee to share his/her/their story. You can use prompts like Tell
me more about that, to get moredetail and information.)
Tell me about the schooling you did to become a [health care provider].
o What kind of classes did you take?
o In what context did you work with patients while in school?
o Do you this your education prepared you for this job? Why or why not?
o Is there anything you didnt learn at school that you had to ?Explain.
Describe how you communicate with patients. (Verbal communication and nonverbalcommunication) Can you share
an example or story about a typical interaction with apatient?
Describe your communication with your co-workers.
What do you like best about your job?
What do you like least about your job?
Do you or your colleagues ever feel burned out by this job? Why do you think thathappens? What do you or your
colleagues do to cope?
What are the biggest challenges you experience in this career (in general and particular inrelation to interacting
with patients)?
What are the greatest rewards?
Is there anything else you would like to tell me?
As you look at the questions above, you might begin to see what aspects of the reading they aredrawing from. Targeting
your question to major themes from the reading may make it easier foryou to identify how to connect your interview
analysis to the readings.