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Table 3 Components of the questions: illustrative quotations for terms and phrases describing expectations

From: Cognitive interviews guide design of a new CAM patient expectations questionnaire

Term or phrase

Quote

3.1

Expect

Expect, is that like another word for hope? Because that’s how I’m using it. Do you know what I mean? Because I’m sort of like, I don’t know what to expect, but I sure have a lot of hope. So I think that’s, if this is important for you, I don’t know, but that’s how I’m using the word expect. AZ-518

3.2

Realistically Expect

If you were to ask me what do I expect, do I talk about what I expect realistically? And then I might talk about what I hope for. But if you were to ask me, what do I realistically expect, if I just focused on what is realistic, what is a realistic outcome. SEA-316

3.3

Hope

Well so whenever I try a new treatment there’s always a hope in the back of my mind that I’m hoping that I’ll be completely free of the back pain and feel completely well. That hasn’t been my true experience, but there’s always that hope, you know? AZ-427

3.4

Think is likely to occur

Likely to occur to me, is taking it a little bit more distance and a little bit more objectively. Like, based on my research, it’s likely that I’ll have an 8, but what do I realistically expect might bring in some more of my pessimism about what might happen for me.” SEA-803

“I’d probably say expect [is more meaningful] because likely, I don’t know. Likely means, sort of means to me more like a guess. But expect is more like your opinion.” AZ-817

3.5

Feel

“Feel” is more vague. Like it’s almost more like it’s asking you what your intuition is about treatment. More like a gut reaction as opposed to thinking about it and like, processing all of the information that you have. SEA-316

3.6

Think AND Believe

I don’t hear a different in “believe” versus “think”. I think you have to be pretty sophisticated to register a difference on that and so I think in using either verb, it’s the same question to me. SEA-531

3.7

Helpful

Helpful, I guess means steps to recovery, not an instant fix, but something that you work at. AZ-529

3.8

Successful

Either 95 to 100% pain free. But I would also say it would be successful if it would be a temporary relief of pain, too. In other words, there’d be a temporary period of relief as opposed to a more permanent period of relief. SEA-501

3.9

Confident

I think confident is basically the same thing as hope, but not as positive. AZ-219

Well to me it’s contrary to hopeful. I keep going back to that because, to me, wishful is a very soft, gentle word that is not clear. And confident is, I’m confident. Because it’s been explained to me. AZ-313

3.10

Hopeful

Hopeful is like, well I just hope something good happens. I’m hoping something good will happen. AZ-313