Health Services Research Methods

The following paper presents a summary and evaluation of Health Services Research Methods, by Shi (1997). Shi stated that health services research is now a recognized discipline, which merges health-related methods and results from numerous traditional disciplines. For this review, each chapter is summarized and evaluated and a conclusion is presented.

Chapter 1 is titled: Scientific Foundations of Health Services Research. This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the topic, laying an adequate foundation for the remainder of the book. The nature of scientific inquiry is the first section. The author explains that scientific inquiry has the purpose of creating knowledge and it is based on the assumption that life is logical with distinct patterns of regularity (positivism). This logic forms scientific theory, and empiricism is the method used in scientific inquiry to determine the patterns of regularity. Research reactive effects (Hawthorne effect) may interfere with the study of a particular behavior, and the researcher must control for sources of bias.

The process of theory construction is presented in the second section. The author states that scientific inquiry to verify a theory, takes place after theory construction, which includes six steps of specifying the: topic; assumptions; range of phenomena; major concepts and variables (independent and dependent); propositions, hypotheses, and relationships

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rposes, and an alternative when other methods are inappropriate. This type of research is frequently used with survey and experiments as a complementary method. Qualitative research is more appropriate for studies which seek: comprehensive knowledge of a topic; developmental or transitional topics; attitudes, feelings, motivations, behaviors, and factors related to a changing process; complex issues with interrelated phenomena; rapidly changing situations; relationships between subjects and settings; and processes rather than outcomes. When ethical problems preclude the use of quantitative research, qualitative research provides an alternative. Next the definition of qualitative research is provided. It contrasts quantitative research since it includes observations and analyses, which may or may not be numerically measurable. Other terms applied to qualitative research include field research, observational research and participant observation, case study, ethnographic studies, phenomenological inquiry, heuristics, and symbolic interaction. Types of qualitative research methods include participant observation, focused interviews, and the case study. The process involved in qualitative research is presented, to include the f

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