Only parents with infants born before 32 weeks of gestation and still hospitalised in the aforementioned NICUs at the time of the interview will be considered eligible to integrate the study.
Key categories and concepts emerging from each of the three interview groups will be considered individually for each group, across the dimensions selected for purposive sampling within groups, between groups where there are areas of communality and across established concepts in existing literature.
After Tuesday's initial interview session, judges will invite approximately 250 candidates to participate in a second interview; from there, 75 applicants will be considered during a third round, according to the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.
The emotional state and vulnerability of the individual will be considered, so interviews could be staged into short time sections in order not to tire the individual and to encourage the participant to feel they were needed and not 'being used'.
The findings from the interviews will inform the modelling and DCE work streams and will be considered by the expert panel.
Effectiveness variations (eg, patient risk profiles) will be considered but most model variations will be performed on cost variables.> All interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim.
