Introduction to Research

Methodology

Today’s Sessions Cover:

Definition

Benefits/Importance of Research in

Medicine or Health

Characteristics and Purposes of Research

The Research Process

Introduction to Research Methodology

What is Research?

Research is a systematic collection, analysis,

interpretation of data to answer a certain

question or to solve a problem.

In short, it is a systematic process for

generating new knowledge.

Introduction to Research

Why research?

Research is a systematic process for

generating new knowledge.

•Knowledge is power and research is essential

for advancing development- In medical field,

research is necessary for health and

development.

ResearchFour possible reasons are considered:

1. Action and Research: Research is essential

for guiding action- Action without tools and

intelligence can be ineffective and wasteful of

resources. Appropriate research can inform and

accelerate the efficiency and effectiveness of

action for health. Research generates

information and understanding that enable

individuals, families and communities to achieve

better health.

Research

2. Developing new tools: extraordinarily

powerful tools against diseases have been

developed. Such examples are: - vaccines to

prevent disease, pesticides to control disease

vectors, drugs to treat diseases.

Research is not only for biomedical advances-

but also for understanding of disease

causation, health behaviour, economics and

management of health systems.

Research

•All societies have health problems for which new tools are

needed- examples, malaria, AIDS need further search in

biology and epidemiology.

•Modern science offers opportunities for advances that can

be exploited only through research-

•Molecular biology, genetics and immunology provide

better understanding for mechanisms of disease and

generating new technologies.

•A range of new vaccines, drugs and diagnostics against

major health problems can be developed based on modern

biology.

Research3. Multiplying benefits:

Critical reason for medical or health research

is to provide basis for effective planning and

wise use of scarce resources.

Research has demonstrated to be a productive

investment through cost-effectiveness.

Flow of benefits is customarily considered as

emerging from advanced laboratories in

industrialized countries, and research advances

in developing countries.

ResearchMultiplying benefits (cont.):

For example: lower-cost ambulatory treatment of

tuberculosis, or development of oral rehydration for

diarrhoea, both developed in Asia.

Research can reduce costs- because new

strategies can be achieved more with fewer

resources-thus target limited resources to save

more lives.

For example- new and powerful strategy, such as

using trained community health workers, backed

by few fully trained health professionals to extend

PHC care to rural communities.

Research

Multiplying benefits (cont.):

Management research can improve the

efficiency of health systems, through

evaluation strategies, producing greater

results for the same cost.

Research can reveal better ways to finance

the recurrent costs of health systems by

applying cost analysis methods of application.

Research can further find more efficient

ways to deploy resources, such as

identification of risk groups for resource

allocation.

Research4. Research and development Process:

Critical parts of development process

encompasses:

a) A better understanding of research

b) a growing capacity to conduct research

c) an increasing number of research

experts/leaders

Research informs the attitudes with which

people think about themselves and their

world/ environments.

Research and Deve. Process (cont.):

Research fosters a scientific problem-solving

culture, i.e without research, a society’s capacity to

address problems, old and new, is diminished.

Research is necessary to anticipate problems,

because in the complex systems that affect health,

common sense can be misleading- for example:

-Taking into consideration that ‘food cures

hunger,’food aid can weaken price incentives to local

farmers, undermines local agricultural production

increase vulnerable to hunger.

-Insecticides kills pests, but massive use affects

health of human population.

Research

Research and development:

Scientists as citizens perform a societal

role beyond technology generation.

Individuals successfully engaged in

research can contribute to high standards of

creativity, independence, and commitments to

truth- All these values are part of social and

human development.

ResearchIn summary:

Research is a system involving people,

institutions, and processes.

Its pursuit depends on systematic analyses,

creativity, and exploration.

Results from research traverse many

channels to find their ultimate use.

Social benefits of research, in turn, help to

stimulate an effective demand for research

Research

Research and its demand and use are

depended upon the underlying intellectual

and organisational capacity of a society.

Research policy deals with research

processes, the application of findings,

research capacity and the decision making

processes determining what research is done

and how it is supported.

Research

Figure: The Research System:

Financial support for Promote

Guides

research inform basic

policy

public knowledge and

action

Public support

for research Health improvement

Demand for research

Research

Research

What are Characteristics of Research?

First, it demands a clear statement of the

problem.

Second, it requires a plan, i.e a research

proposal development.

Thirdly,it builds on existing data, using both

positive and negative findings, and

fourthly, new data should be collected as

required and be organised in such a way that

they answer the original research question or

questions.

Research:

Research Purposes:

Research serves two major purposes in

acceleration of advances in health:

1. Basic Research- is necessary to generate

new knowledge and technologies to deal with

major unresolved health or medical problems.

2. Applied Research- to identify priority

problems, design and evaluate policies and

programmes that will deliver the greatest

health benefit by making optimal use of

available resources. Example of such is HSR.

Research

The Research Process:

Scientific knowledge is knowledge provable by

both reason and experience (observation)- no

speculations, but intelligent guess.

Research process- is the overall scheme of

scientific activities in which scientists engage in

order to produce knowledge- it is the paradigm of

scientific inquiry.

It consists of seven principal stages: problem,

hypothesis, research design, measurement, data

collection and generalisation.

Research

The Research Process:

It is the principal stage of research

methodology of scientific inquiry and

discipline.

Each of these stages is interrelated with

theory in the sense that it is affected by it as

well as affects it.

The most characteristic feature of the

research process is the cyclic nature.

Introduction to Research

The Research Process:

It usually starts with a problem and ends in

a tentative empirical generalisation.

The generalisation ending one cycle is the

beginning of the next cycle.

This cyclic process continues indefinitely-

reflecting the progress of a scientific

discipline.

Research process is also self-correcting .

ResearchThe Research Process:

Tentative generalisations to research

problems are tested logically and

empirically.

If these generalisations are rejected, new

ones are formulated and tested.

In the process of reformulation, all the

research operations are re-evaluated,

because the rejection of generalisation

might be due to deficiencies in performing

the research operations.

Research

The Research Process:

For example, a generalisation that ‘

economic crises lead to increased

government spending’ can be rejected if it

cannot be logically validated and empirically

verified.

Generalisation can also be rejected, even if

it is ‘true’, if procedures for validation and

verification ( for example, research design,

measurement and data analysis) are

deficient.

Research

The Research Process:

To minimize the risk of rejecting true

generalisations, one needs to re-examine

each of the stages in the research process

prior to the formulation of new

generalisations.

NBS Students: ResearchFigure: Principles stages of research process:

Theory

Problem

Hypothesis

Research design

MeasurementData collection

Generalisation

Data analysis