Table 1 Problem centered interview protocol

Introduction

• Would you please start by briefly introducing yourself?

• How long have you been working in a hospice/palliative care unit? Why did you want to work here? Have your expectations been fulfilled?

Activity

• What is your daily routine like? What is particularly important to you in your work?

• Are there any situations that move you or are of particular concern to you?

• Are there any problematic or unusual situations?

• Did you do anything differently in the past than you do today?

• Are there differences between what you do and what your colleagues do?

• Do you encounter communication or moral boundaries in your work?

Relationship with guests/patients and relatives

• When you talk to guests/patients, what are the main issues?

• Do the guests/patients have special needs? If so, how can you respond to the guests’/patients’ wishes?

• How do you relate to the relatives in your daily work? Do you have the opportunity to communicate with them? How does this influence your work?

‘Good Dying’

• What would be successful end-of-life care for you? Can you describe a case?

• Do you have any special wishes for the organization of the hospice/palliative care unit? What would you change?