175739 Critical Incident Technique interview: An innovative CBPR method for amplifying the voices of women on their breast cancer care

Monday, October 27, 2008: 5:15 PM

Christina Hardy, MPH , The Partnership Project, Greensboro, NC
Jennifer Schaal, MD , The Partnership Project, Greensboro, NC
Michael Yonas, DrPH , School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Eugenia Eng, MPH, DrPH , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Brandolyn White, MPH , Greensboro Area Health Education Center, UNC Center for Community Research, Greensboro, NC
Nettie Coad , The Partnership Project, Greensboro, NC
Robert Aronson, DrPH , Department of Public Health Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
Dinushika Mohottige, MPH , Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC
Kimberly Russell , Department of Health Behavior Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
To better understand the complexities of institutional racism and how it relates to disparities experienced by African American and White breast cancer survivors within a local community, qualitative interviews were conducted using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT). As part of the Cancer Care and Racial Equity Study (CCARES), an initiative of the Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative, a unique, action-oriented research methodology was used to bring together the collective of women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. The CIT method of interviewing focuses on exploring with women, through two consecutive in-depth interviews, the specific behaviors, pleasant and unpleasant, experienced during the critical periods of diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up associated with breast cancer. Guided by principles of community-based participatory research, community members partnered with members of the medical and academic communities to prepare, conduct and analyze CIT interviews. To be highlighted in this presentation will be: CIT interviewer trainings with community partners; CIT interviewer practice and feedback sessions; collaborative CIT analysis training; and public recognition rewards. Central to CCARES CBPR partnership has been the formal certification in research ethics. Prioritizing the training of community research partners has assisted in upholding the research ethic of beneficence by building community capacity and participant self-awareness. The presentation will end with a discussion of limitations and challenges of CIT, along with other lessons learned during this ongoing CBPR initiative.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify two characteristics of the Critical Incident Technique that were applied to recognize institutional racism and its association with breast cancer disparities. 2. Describe three activities which assist in the development of productive working relationships among members of multicultural and multidisciplinary community based participatory research.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Project Coordinator for the research grant (Cancer Care and Racial Equity Study) on which I am proposing to present. I do not have a relevant financial relationship with a commercial interest occurring within the past 12 months, nor do I have the opportunity to affect the content of CE about the products or services of any commercial interest.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.