Module 02.1 Research Questions notes

Module Overview

• HLTH2024 Research Methods in Health

  • Focus: Research Questions and Research Designs

  • Presenter: John Bidewell

  • Purpose: Match healthcare questions with appropriate research methodologies.

Research Questions and Designs

• Major healthcare questions that research can answer include:

  • Clinical practice

  • Public health and health policy

• Research methodologies are tailored to answer these researchable questions.

Importance of Research Questions

• Purpose of Research: All research seeks to answer a question.

  • Relevance of the question directly impacts the relevance of the research.

• In evidence-based healthcare, research questions focus on improving healthcare practice.

  • All research should start with a well-defined research question informed by prior knowledge and experiences.

Major Clinical Questions in Healthcare

• Common questions include:

  • Does this intervention work?

  • Is this assessment procedure valid?

  • What happens if the patient’s condition is not treated?

  • What are the frequencies and rates of this health condition?

  • What are the causes and risk factors?

  • How do individuals with this condition experience life?

• Answers to these questions enhance the quality of healthcare through evidence-based practice.

Assessing Interventions

• Definition of Intervention: Actions by practitioners to improve healthcare outcomes (e.g., treatments, public health campaigns).

• Quantitative Methodology: Intervention studies, including clinical trials and comparative studies, assess effectiveness and impact.

Diagnostic and Assessment Accuracy

• Objective: Determine the accuracy of diagnosis and assessments to classify patient conditions.

• Quantitative Studies: Used to validate assessment procedures through diagnostic accuracy studies that measure the validity of these methods.

Prognostic Studies

• Purpose: Understand the outcomes if a health condition remains untreated.

  • Prognostic studies provide essential information about disease progression and survival chances.

Epidemiological Insights

• Focus: Determine the prevalence and rates of health conditions in populations.

  • This data is crucial for planning healthcare resources and interventions.

  • Quantitative epidemiological studies help assess how often conditions occur and who is at risk.

Etiological Research

• Goal: Identify causes and risk factors for health conditions to develop preventive measures.

  • Etiological studies often stem from epidemiological findings and focus on establishing cause-and-effect relationships.

Patient Experience and Qualitative Research

• Importance: Understanding patient experiences, values, and perspectives is vital for effective healthcare.

  • Qualitative Methodologies: Explore individual patient experiences and the meanings they ascribe to their health conditions.

Additional Methodologies

• Systematic Reviews: Combine results from multiple studies to provide comprehensive insights.

• Action Research: Conducted informally in workplace settings to address specific local issues, applying mixed methods approaches.

Summary of Module 2.1

• Healthcare problems can be framed as questions answerable through research.

• Research supports evidence-based practice, enhancing job performance in health settings.

• A variety of methodologies (quantitative and qualitative) are matched to the specific healthcare questions posed.