How to Conduct Research for Service Improvement - A Guidebook

152 Pages·2012·3.23 MB·English

HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE PROFESSIONS EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY GROUP

RESEARCH SUB-GROUP
How to Conduct Research for
Service Improvement:
A Guidebook for Health & Social Care Professionals

E D I T E D B Y M I C H A E LB Y R N E
HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thank you to Conal Twomey for his considerable work in both designing and
formatting this guidebook.

CONTACT THE EDITOR

DR MICHAEL BYRNE
Principal Psychologist Manager
Psychology Department
Primary Care Centre
Golf Links Road
Roscommon
Co. Roscommon
HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

i
Contents
ii
List of tables
iii
List of figures
iv
Foreword
v
Executive summary
1
About the contributors
5
PAPER 1 How to apply for research funding
18
PAPER 2 How to match research designs to organisational issues in health &
social care
34
PAPER 3 How to conduct a literature review
49
PAPER 4 How to design quantitative research in applied settings
59
PAPER 5 How to conduct qualitative research in health & social care settings
78
PAPER 6 How to practice ethically sound research
85
PAPER 7 How to analyse quantitative data
92
PAPER 8 How to analyse qualitative data
107
PAPER 9 How to conduct a service evaluation
119
PAPER 10 How to write for publication
129
APPENDIX A Embracing Lenus – the Irish health repository
135
APPENDIX B What is HSELanD?
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HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS
PAPER 9 how to conduct a service evaluation
LIST OF TABLES
1. Dimensions of health care quality 111

2. Methodology examples for evaluation 114
No. Title Page
3. Steps to conducting a service evaluation 116
PAPER 1 How to apply for research funding
PAPER 10 how to write for publication
1. An example of a budget within a research funding 11
proposal 1. The practical aspects of writing for publication 127
2. An example of a Gantt chart mapping the timeframe 12 APPENDIX B What is HSELanD?
of a proposed study within a research funding
proposal 1. Online learning hubs available at HSELanD 139
PAPER 3 How to conduct a literature review 2. Core competencies 143
1. Some psychology and mental health-related 36 3. Additional Information about HSELanD 142
publications
2. Some literature searching methods 38
3. Some databases that can be accessed through the 41
HSE library
4. Dimensions of research papers that need to be 42
considered
PAPER 4 How to conduct quantitative research in applied settings
1. Common quantitative research designs 54
PAPER 7 How to analyse quantitative data
1. Definition of Type I and Type II error 86
2. Definitions of main types of data 87
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HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS

1. Four key domains of ethical research 78
LIST OF FIGURES
2. Visual representation of important ethical issues. 83
No. Title Page
PAPER 7 How to analyse quantitative data
PAPER 1 How to apply for research funding 1. The influence of type of data on selection of analysis 88
1. How to apply for research funding 16 techniques.
PAPER 2 How to match research designs to organisational issues in 2. Common methods for parametric analysis of group 89
health & social care differences
1. Ensuring rigour in matching research designs to 19 3. Common methods for non-parametric analysis of 90
research problems group differences
2. Different research models, what they aim to achieve, 21 PAPER 8 How to Analyse Qualitative Data
and their most associated research objectives.
1. Methods of qualitative data collection 93
3. Identifying research questions at each stage of the 24
applied research process 2. Framework for categorising qualitative analysis 95
techniques
4. Deriving action from knowledge 32
3. Key stages of discourse analysis outlined 96
PAPER 3 How to conduct a literature review
4. Key stages of coding in grounded theory 98
1. Summary of steps to conducting a literature review 46
5. Key phases of thematic analysis 99
PAPER 4 How to conduct quantitative research in applied settings
6. Key steps for content analysis 101
1. The interaction of intuition, authority, logic and 49
empiricism in research 7. Key steps in qualitative analysis 102
2. Flowchart of the general research process 50 PAPER 10 How to write for publication
3. Stages of quantitative research design 52 1. Key Issues in authorship 121

PAPER 6 How to practice ethically sound research
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HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS

FOREWORD I wish to thank all the contributors for their time and energy,
and to acknowledge the pivotal role played by Principal
It gives me great pleasure to introduce this guidebook Psychologist Manager, Dr. Michael Byrne, who worked with
commissioned by the Health and Social Care Professions the contributors in developing their papers.
(HSCPs) Education and Development Unit.

As highlighted in the 2011 Survey of the Research Activity,
Skills and Training Needs of HSCPs in Ireland , there is a
growing need to evaluate whether our healt h services are
operating efficiently, whether they are engaging in evidence -

based practice and whether they are meeting performance Tony O’Brien
goals such as achieving desired treatment outcomes. Our Deputy Chief Executive/Director General Designate
front-line health and social care professionals (HSCPs) are Health Service Executive
well-placed to actively lead such enquiry in our complex and
sometimes hard-to-define ‘real world’ health services.

Complete with practical guidance on how to manage the
various elements of the research methodology continuum, this
first edition will contribute to the skill development of our
HSCPs. I hope it inspires purposeful research activity. The
newly constituted HSCP Education and Development Advisory
Group Research Sub-group and the newly launched HSCP hub
on HSELanD will also be key to this.

This guidebook is also a clear manifestation of what can be
achieved when our HSCP clinicians and academics work
together towards a common goal. Such mutually beneficial
academic-clinician research interaction is a model that has the
potential to produce high quality research output and
associated service provision improvements.
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HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS

strategic priority within the health service can be driven. This
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY is especially relevant in a time of limited resources.

Conducting research is a complex process that involves many This guidebook complements our inaugural HSCP annual
steps and a range of competencies (see Figure 1). The research conference scheduled for February 2013, as
purpose of this guidebook is to help HSCPs navigate these organised by our recently established Research Sub-group of
steps effectively. To this end, it boasts contributions from the HSCP Education and Development Advisory Group. This
esteemed researchers from various fields in health and social conference will include inter-disciplinary practise-based
care who share their knowledge on a range of topics. workshops, and oral and poster presentations. Alongside this,
an online HSCP hub (that includes a research section) has
The reader is taken on a journey from the initial steps in been launched on the web portal HSELanD (profiled in
research such as formulating research designs, applying for Appendix B). Also profiled in the guidebook (in Appendix A) is
research funding and conducting a literature review, through the online health repository, ‘Lenus’ which is an important
to the ethical approval process, the analysis of both resource for HSCPs. All of these initiatives aim to inspire
quantitative and qualitative data, and finally to the output and HSCPs to increase their research activity so that together we
publication phase. How research is applied to the ‘real world’ can drive evidenced-based practice and make real changes in
is also addressed in articles that examine organisational issues the delivery of our health and social care services.
surrounding research and the conducting of service
evaluations within health settings. Although subsequent
editions of the guidebook will address additional issues, the
reader is provided with an overview of what it takes for
health-orientated research to work, from start to finish.

Building on recommendations from the 2011 Survey of the
Research Activity, Skills and Training Needs of HSCPs in
Ireland, the guidebook aims to develop and enhance the
research competencies of HSCPs and to ultimately progress a
research appreciative culture whereby research is prioritised
and used to drive service innovation. In the long term, the
aspiration is that national and regional research
infrastructures will be established so that research activities of
v
HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS

Formulate Organise Conduct Disseminate

1
Figure1. The steps involved in conducting research.

We wish to thank Conal Twomey (Research Assistant, Roscommon Health Service Area, HSE West) for producing this figure.
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HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS

Psychology and Health. Molly’s research interests are in
designing and evaluating health behaviour interventions and
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
exploring psycho-social issues among people with chronic

illness. She has been awarded several research grants (from
DR. MICHAEL BYRNE (BE, 1989; BA,
the Health Research Board and others) and has published
1996; MPsychSc in Clinical Psychology,
over 30 peer-reviewed articles.
HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: A GUIDEBOOK FOR HSCPS

DR. SUZANNE GUERIN is a lecturer in AOIFE LAWTON MLIS, BA (European
research design and analysis with the Studies) has over 15 years experience of
School of Psychology at University College working in both ICT and library sectors.
Dublin (UCD). She is also Director of the She is Systems Librarian at the Health
UCD Centre for Disability Studies. Much of Service Executive based at the Regional
Suzanne’s research is conducted in applied Library, Dr. Steevens Hospital. Working
settings and she has been involved in and in a rapidly changing health information
has advised on studies concerning mental health, chronic environment she manages Lenus the open access Irish health
childhood illness and disability. She is particularly interested repository as a core function. Aoife is also responsible for
in the combination of qualitative and quantitative research enabling access to electronic journals, databases & resources
evident in mixed methods studies and sees this approach as a to all HSE employees working in Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare.
key solution to the challenges of applied research and the Her interests include health information literacy, knowledge
intricacies of working in real-world settings. networks, evidence-based practice and open access to health