Table 4.

Key attributes of qualitative methods to develop PROs

Method	Key Attribute
Sampling	Representative of the experience
Interviewing	Open-ended elicitation of spontaneous responses
Analysis	Constant comparison; at least two coders; harmonization
Saturation	Iteratively achieved; not a frequency count; new concept does not add to conceptual framework
Reliability	Agreement between coders and within a coder’s coding
Transparency	Documentation of the construction of the conceptual framework from the beginning of study