Final answer:
An interview is a method used by clinicians to collect data and make observations about clients during a face-to-face interaction. It ranges from informal to highly structured formats, such as illness narrative interviews, which help to gain insights into a patient's personal experience with illness.
Step-by-step explanation:
A series of questions that clinicians administer in a face-to-face interaction with the client, which allows the clinicians to make observations of their clients, is known as an interview. This method is used to collect data from subjects regarding their behaviors and opinions, typically in a structured format. In the context of healthcare, interviews can vary from informal conversations to highly structured interactions, such as illness narrative interviews, helping to understand the patient's condition and personal experiences.
An interview in a clinical setting could include a wide range of questions intended to elicit information that will help in diagnosing a patient or understanding their needs. Effective interviews may guide to further questioning or follow-ups based on responses received. In the case of more complex issues, a survey might be employed to gather data on attitudes, beliefs, or habits from a larger sample, while ensuring confidentiality when dealing with sensitive topics.
Anthropologists, as well as other healthcare professionals, use interviews to gain a deeper understanding of individual experiences and narratives around illness, which are guided by the principles of symbolic interactionism and involve the social construction of sickness.