# At what risk? A research note on interviewer burden

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how conducting interviews on institutional racism in healthcare can place unexpected emotional burdens on interviewers, especially when they are Black.

## Contribution

The paper introduces the concept of 'interviewer burden' as a new consideration in research methodology, particularly in sensitive sociocultural contexts.

## Key findings

- Interviewers faced negative encounters with white patients, including denial of racism and non-verbal discomfort.
- Black interviewers experienced the most intense negative interactions, such as intimidation and false claims of Native identity.
- The study highlights the need to address interviewer burden in research design and implementation.

## Abstract

We report on our methodological experiences during an investigation of how institutional racism functions in healthcare. We found tension between balancing methodological rigor with the unanticipated consequence of interviewer burden.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and qualitatively analyzed using thematic content analysis. Interviewers also participated in weekly debriefing sessions and reported experiences with patients.

Interviewers repeatedly experienced negative encounters with white patients during interviews. Themes included privilege to avoid racism, denial of racism, non-verbal discomfort, falsely claiming Native identities, and intimidation. These experiences were most pronounced with Black interviewers.

Interviewer burden may need to be a consideration taken up in a variety of research contexts.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13104-024-06839-z.