Methods for think-aloud interviews in health-related resource-use research: the PECUNIA RUM instrument

ABSTRACT

Background

The think-aloud (TA) approach is a qualitative research method that allows for gaining insight into thoughts and cognitive processes. It can be used to incorporate a respondent’s perspective when developing resource-use measurement (RUM) instruments. Currently, the application of TA methods in RUM research is limited, and so is the guidance on how to use them. Transparent publication of TA methods for RUM in health economics studies, which is the aim of this paper, can contribute to reducing the aforementioned gap.

Methods

Methods for conducting TA interviews were iteratively developed by a multi-national working group of health economists and additional qualitative research expertise was sought. TA interviews were conducted in four countries to support this process. A ten-step process was outlined in three parts: Part A ‘before the interview’ (including translation, recruitment, training), Part B ‘during the interview’ (including setting, opening, completing the instrument, open-ended questions, closing), and part C ‘after the interview’ (including transcription and data analysis, trustworthiness).

Conclusions

This manuscript describes the step-by-step approach for conducting multi-national TA interviews with potential respondents of the PECUNIA RUM instrument. It increases the methodological transparency in RUM development and reduces the knowledge gap of using qualitative research methods in health economics.

KEYWORDS:

• Instrument development
• patient involvement
• qualitative research methods
• resource-use measurement
• think-aloud

Declaration of interest

This research is part of the ProgrammE in Costing, resource use measurement and outcome valuation for Use in multi-sectoral National and International health economic evaluAtions (PECUNIA) project, which aims to develop a multi-national multi-sectoral instrument for health economics research. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Previous presentation

Methods of this manuscript are presented at the iHEA2021 online conference.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14737167.2023.2187379

Additional information

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 779292.