How does health services research reflect scientific inquiry?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Health services research reflects the conceptual framework for conducting research, including the following stages: conceptualization, groundwork, research methods, research design, sampling, measurement, data collection, data processing, data analysis, and application.

The conceptualization stage requires the researcher to understand the general purpose of the research, determine the specific research topic, identify relevant theories and literature, specify the meaning of the concepts and variables to be studied, and formulate general hypotheses or research questions. In the groundwork stage, the researcher must identify relevant data sources, explore sources of funding, develop a research plan or proposal (to obtain funding), and prepare to carry out the research.

During the research methods stage, the researcher chooses the appropriate research methods for the particular study, with the best strategy often being a combination of different approaches. The research design stage addresses the planning of scientific inquiry: anticipating subsequent stages of the research project, identifying the unit of analysis and the variables to be measured, establishing procedures for data collection, and devising an analysis strategy.

In the sampling stage, the researcher must be clear about the population of interest for a study, and must decide upon the appropriate sample size and sampling procedures. In the measurement, or operationalization stage, the researcher devises measures that link particular concepts to empirically observable events or variables, and ascertains the validity and reliability of measurement.

During the data collection stage, the researcher gathers empirical data using tools such as the interview and questionnaire survey. The data processing stage involves transforming the raw data into a format suitable for analysis. The data analysis stage makes use of statistical procedures to manipulate the processed data in order to make conclusions about the hypotheses or research questions.

Finally, in the application stage, the researcher focuses on interpreting and using the research findings, and communicating them to the funder or sponsor and possibly to the media and the scientific community. At this stage, the researcher should also provide suggestions for further research on the subject and outline the shortcomings that might be avoided in future studies.