Frail Older People as Participants in Research

摘要

This article describes the experience of interviewing frail older people in a research project investigating hip fracture risk factors. Specific methodological strategies to maximize participation and data quality and to facilitate the interview process related to participant inclusion criteria, initial approach, questionnaire format, and administration. Results from 387 interviews showed that expectations of problems in interviewing an aged population with high levels of disability were not realized. With careful planning, high response rates can be achieved and the interview experience can be richly rewarding for both participants and researchers.