Feature ArticlePerceptions of work in humanitarian assistance: Interviews with returning Swedish health professionals
Section snippets
Design and sample selection
The study was based on interviews during 1999–2000 with health professionals who had been on recent humanitarian assistance missions. Personnel officers at major humanitarian NGOs in Sweden were asked to identify potential study participants (ie, doctors and nurses) who had been out on at least one humanitarian assistance mission for a Swedish NGO and had returned to Sweden during the previous 12 months. Persons who met the criteria were contacted by the personnel officers, who prepared lists
Profile of the interviewed group
The interviewed group included 15 nurses and 5 medical doctors, aged 25-55 years. Collectively they had been on 74 missions in 32 different countries throughout the world over a period of 25 years (1974–1999), with a majority of the missions in the 1990s. One person had been on 10 missions, and another 9 persons had been out 4 to 9 times. The other half of the group had worked abroad on 1 to 3 missions. Mission length had ranged from 6 weeks to over 2 years. Collectively, the interviewees had
Credibility, dependability, and transferability
In qualitative research, credibility is increased by including participants with various experiences and backgrounds.9 In this study, credibility was strengthened by including nurses and doctors, women and men, and persons who had worked for many different organizations in many different countries and roles. Suitability of meaning units and coverage of the original data, 2 other aspects of credibility, were checked by having co-researchers reach agreement on codes, categories, and themes. This
Acknowledgement
The authors thank Monika Pearson for her assistance with the interviews and the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare for financing the original study.
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