RM3

What are the stages of planning and managing a research project?

1. Discuss the process of developing a research project

   • Write research questions, aims and objectives

2. Explain the important of public and patient involvement in research

3. Discuss the structure and importance of research protocols

4. Understand why it is important to construct a timetable for a research project

5. Explain the need for pilot and feasibility studies

6. Collect data

7. Process data e.g. clean, cross check, account for missing data; enter/transcribe and code

8. Analysis of results

9. Test hypotheses / develop theory / reflect against what is already known and context

10. Write report or publication

11. Feed back to participants and other stakeholders

Define a research question?

A research question is a clear unambiguous question able to be answered through your research project

What are 3 things to do when creating a good research question?

Has the question been asked before? Will it add to our current knowledge?

What methodology has been used before? What is practical?

How wide will the interest be in results? Will the results be of benefit?

How does PPI improve research?

• More relevant to participants

• Designed in a way which is acceptable to participants

• Have participant information which is understandable to participants

• Provide a better experience of research

• Have better communication of results to participants at the end of the study.

Why are aims and objectives important?

Aims and objectives bridge the gap between your research question and what you actually do

How to structure objective?

SMART

Define a research protocol?

The plan for conducting the project

Convinces the reader of the need for project

• Ensures everything is considered before starting data collection

• Stops researchers manipulating methods to get the results they want

What is WHO recommended structure

• Rationale and background information

• Aims and objectives

• Study design – type of study, population, inclusion and exclusion criteria

• Methodology – details of interventions, procedures, measurements etc

• Safety considerations – participants and researchers

• Follow up – how participants will be followed up and for how long

• Data management and analysis

• Dissemination of results

• Problems anticipated (and potential solutions)

• Project management

• Ethics

Describe a gantt chart?

Help work out how much time you need

Considers orders of tasks

Describe Feasibility studies?

Research done before a main study to answer the question “Can this study be done?”

estimate important parameters needed to design the main study.

less expensive feasibility study can avoid an expensive full study that turns out to be not feasible

What results might a Feasibility study get?

• Willingness of participants to be randomised

• Willingness of clinicians to recruit participants

• Standard deviation of the clinical outcome measure, which is needed to estimate sample size

Describe a pilot study?

• Miniature version of the main study to test whether all the planned steps work together

• An external pilot is where the data from the pilot is set aside once completed and not used in the findings

• An internal pilot is where the data is used to contribute towards the findings

What questions might a pilot study answer?

• Can be as simple as a pilot interview or involve recruiting a much larger number of participants

• Are we likely to answer the research question with the methods that we have designed?

• Do we need to revise the study design (and costs)?