Table 5 Interview questions and responses from primary care providers (n = 4), clinic staff (n = 6), and participants (n = 4)
Sample questions of interview domain | Sample responses |
|---|---|
Feasibility and acceptance (provider/staff) | |
In what ways did the training/presentation support or not support you in understanding the pilot? What did you like about the pilot? What did you not like? What is your familiarity of the criteria for clearing/not clearing patients for physical activity? | Providers: Training was clear. Understood the criteria. Excellent idea to offer this resource to patients. On-site support person would be helpful. Hard to remember this option—needs lots of reminders. Integrate into proactive office encounter to make it easier to remember. Staff: Did not impact workflow. If we knew more about the study we could have encouraged the patients to exercise. Integrate patient clearance into the electronic medical records. |
Intervention benefits/challenges to patients (provider/participants) | |
What benefits do you see this pilot having on your patients (you) and their health outcomes? What do you view as the major challenges your patients (you) face in managing their diabetes or prediabetes? How do you think this intervention may have helped them (you)? | Providers: Exercise is as good as any medicine I can give them. Long-term, it may help them lost weight and manage their A1c. Hard to engage patients who are not motivated to increase physical activity or manage their health. Participants: A1c much better because of physical activity. I feel healthier than I have for a while. |
Barriers/future opportunities (provider/staff) | |
Is the pilot helpful to your practice? Has it been a hindrance or burden in any way? How would you feel if the pilot is adopted and integrated into our care delivery? | Providers: The extra steps were minimal and not burdensome. Let us identify additional patients who may benefit from exercise. Staff: Need to know why we are doing the study. Older patients may not be able to do physical activity. |
Study aspects (participants) | |
What is your feedback on the frequency of the phone calls, the length of the study, the telephone intervention, the study instruments, the accelerometer? | Participants: Easy to take calls. Not a time burden. Survey length is good. Wearing the accelerometer was fine. |
Telephone physical activity counseling (participants) | |
What resources were available to you to help you increase and maintain your physical activity? Was the intervention helpful? Was it a hindrance or burden? How does the phone counseling fit with your daily life activities? How can the program be more effective? | Participants: Found a place to walk that is safe. Felt supported and helped me make changes. Helped with accountability. In-person visit to meet counselor would be nice. May want to consider email/texts if cannot make calls. |