Developing a Healthcare Research Proposal E-Book

Maxine Offredy

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 497

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Are you new to research and daunted by the idea of constructing your own research proposal? Then this is the book you need!

This book and accompanying web resource will answer all your questions about healthcare research by introducing you to the concepts, theories and practicalities surrounding it. The aim of both the book and the web resource is to help you to write a good healthcare research proposal – which is the starting point for any would-be student researcher.

The book takes a look at the theory of research, the core of the topic, but also provides practical help and advice along the way. It takes the reader through the stages of the research process from developing the question to communicating the findings, demystifying the process on the way. The web resource works alongside the book, supplementing and expanding on the chapters, giving you the ability to prepare your very own research proposal.

• Explains key concepts in a clear, easy to understand way
• Includes activities and scenarios for you to work through which will also increase your understanding of research and research proposals
• Easily navigable web resource (www.researchproposalsforhealthprofessionals.com)
• Both book and website are arranged in the same order in which you would develop and write a research proposal
• Website includes downloadable research proposal template to complete step-by-step as you work through the book and web resource

Leseprobe

Contents

Preface

Introduction

What is research?

Being a researcher

Who’s who in the world of healthcare research?

The importance of research to healthcare

How to use this book and the accompanying web program

The web program

Summary

1 Research and Allied Concepts

Introduction

What is research?

What is clinical audit?

Service evaluation

Issues to consider when undertaking research, audit and service evaluation

Evidence-based practice

Clinical effectiveness

Summary

2 Philosophical Assumptions

Introduction

Philosophical assumptions of qualitative research

Some major characteristics of qualitative research

Philosophical assumptions of quantitative research

Some major characteristics of quantitative research

Using mixed methods in research

Summary

3 The Research Proposal: Developing the Research Question

Introduction

Developing the research question

Questions arising from the patient’s condition

Finding the answers to your questions

Types of research questions

Clarification of the research question

Summary

4 The Research Proposal: Searching and Reviewing the Literature

Introduction

Steps in searching the literature

How to undertake a literature search

Hierarchy of evidence

Reviewing the literature

Scenario

Summary

5 The Research Proposal: Research Design

Introduction

The focus of a research study

Research paradigms

Samples

Quantitative research

Qualitative research

Summary

6 The Research Proposal: Ethics in Research

Introduction

Introduction to ethics

Research governance

Summary

7 The Research Proposal: Selecting Participants

Introduction

What is a sample?

Why use a sample?

Probability and non-probability

Types of probability sample

Types of non-probability sample

The size of samples

Eligibility criteria

Summary

8 The Research Proposal: Collecting Data

Introduction

Collecting data

Quantitative research – data collection

Qualitative research – data collection

Summary

9 The Research Proposal: Analysing Data

Introduction

Quantitative data analysis

Data analysis

Statistical tests

Qualitative data analysis

Summary

10 The Research Proposal: Communicating Research Findings

Introduction

Writing a research report

Writing for publication

Issues associated with healthcare professionals and publication

Presenting at conferences

Summary

11 The Research Proposal: Current Research Issues in Healthcare

Introduction

Ethics

Funding issues

Vested interests regarding the process and the reporting of research

The politicisation of research

The implementation of research findings

Problem-solving

Summary

Index

For George

Maxine Offredy

For my family and my former and present research students

Peter Vickers

This edition first published 2010© Maxine Offredy and Peter Vickers

Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley&Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing programme has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Offredy, Maxine.

Developing a research proposal for healthcare professionals: an interactive research/Maxine Offredy, Peter Vickers. p.; cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4051-8337-6 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Medicine–Research–Methodology. 2. Allied health personnel. I. Vickers, Peter. II. Title.

[DNLM: 1. Research–methods. 2. Data Collection–methods. 3. Research Design. WA 20.5 O32d 2010]

R852.O34 2010

610.72-dc22

2009035249

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Preface

This book reflects our experiences as practitioners, research students and teachers of the topic. It is intended to be helpful to those who are novices to research and to provide a step-by-step approach to their understanding of some of the issues relating to evidence-based practice. We assume that readers have no knowledge of the subject and so we have tried to present the contents in a way that facilitates understanding and increases knowledge.

Most books attempting to explain the research process do so in an abstract, academic way. However, health professionals work in a very practical environment, and nursing students spend half of their education in the clinical/practical environment. As a consequence, health professionals often experience a gap between their own experiences and the relevance that they perceive research to be for them from the many academic/abstract books on research theory and methodology they may access. Both authors are engaged in clinical research, so, whilst not excluding or belittling the academic underpinning of research, research methodology and the research process, we have set the whole theoretical discipline of research within a much more practical milieu. This allows health professionals to understand what is meant by research and its importance to their own, ‘real’ world. By making research knowledge an integral part of healthcare, we hope to generate enthusiasm for the subject and improve patient care.

Introduction

You have decided that you want to undertake some research, but how do you go about it? This book and the accompanying web program will answer this question and will help you to start your research by introducing you to the concepts, theories and practical implications of undertaking a research study from start to finish, as well as helping you to write a research proposal – the first and most important part of your research study.

Many people – health professionals among them – have the wrong impression about research. They see it as something that can only be done by academics – people with very high IQs, who are remote from the real world, live in ‘ivory towers’ and who have been specially trained to do research. When you ask some people what researchers are like, you will often get descriptions of ‘mad scientists’ or Dr Frankenstein types – people continually interfering with nature. This could not be further from the truth. Most research is carried out by ordinary men and women who have a passion for their subject and want to find out more about it. In other words, people like you and me. As you will find out by reading this book, there are many types of research, and yes, some does take place in laboratories. However, much research takes place in ordinary settings – in hospitals, homes, on the street, and so on.

Reflection

Take a few minutes to think about some research that you have done recently.

How many of you reached the conclusion that you have never done any research? Probably most of you, unless you have undertaken an academic degree. But, in fact, you would be quite wrong. If you think about it, you have all undertaken some research, not just once or twice, but almost every day.

What is research?

Let us think again about what research is. All right, you may not have finished up with a written report illustrated with lots of graphs and tables, but you will certainly have undertaken research into something that is of interest to you. For example, how many of you own a car? How did you decide to buy that particular make and model? You compared different makes and models, different prices, differences in running costs, and so on. You probably talked to people who have similar cars and you may have road-tested different makes before coming to the conclusion that the car you bought was the one for you. If you did all or some of this, then you have done research, because this comparison, soliciting opinions and testing are all skills that we use in research. The only difference is that in ‘real’ research we go about the task in a more structured and scientific way – although there are people who choose their cars very scientifically.

To Do

Now you have seen one example of how you undertake research in everyday life, spend a few minutes thinking of other examples of everyday research similar to that one.

Here are a few examples:

Relationships –

when you first meet somebody, you spend some time observing and ‘researching’ them, for example, you talk to them in order to find out what they do for a living, their interests and hobbies, their beliefs and opinions, and other important facts about them, such as their sense of humour, physical attractiveness and whether they find you interesting and attractive.

Restaurants for a special evening out –

you may read reviews of restaurants in your area, or talk to friends and colleagues to find out where they would go for a celebration.

Where to go on holiday –

again, you probably read reviews in magazines of destinations, you talked to travel agents as well as friends and colleagues, you collected and compared brochures of places to visit, and you looked at the costs.