Fundamentals of research methodology for healthcare professionals

Front cover
Tilte page
Imprint page
Contents
About the authors
Preface
Chapter 1: Orientation to health sciences research
	What is research?
		Definitions of research
	What is health sciences research?
	Ways of acquiring knowledge
		Tradition
		Authorities
		Logical reasoning
		Experience
		Trial and error
		Intuition
		Borrowing
	The scientific method
		Limitations of the scientific method
		Main types of scientific research
		Reasons for conducting health sciences research
		Roles of healthcare professionals in research
		Using research knowledge to promote evidence-based practice
		The hierarchy of evidence
		Systematic and integrative reviews
Chapter 2: Research and theory
	The nature of scientific theory
		Definitions of theory
		Types of theory
		Theory-related terms
	Development of theory
	Testing of theory
	The relationship between theory and research
Chapter 3: Ethical considerations in the conduct of health sciences research
	Codes of ethical research
	Fundamental ethical principles
		Principle of respect for persons
		Principle of beneficence
		Principle of justice
	Procedures and mechanisms for protecting human rights
		Informed consent
		Issues relating to informed consent
		The risk–benefit ratio
		Scientific honesty and other responsibilities
		Ethics review boards and committees
	Evaluation of the ethical elements of a research proposal or report
Chapter 4: An overview of the research process
	The research process
	Major phases and steps in the research process
		Phase 1: The conceptual phase
		Phase 2: The empirical phase
		Phase 3: The interpretive phase
		Phase 4: The communication phase
	Research setting
Chapter 5: Selecting or identifying research problems
	What is a research topic?
	Research problem and purpose
		Origins of research problems
		Considerations regarding research problems
	Formulating a research problem
Chapter 6: The literature review
	Definitions
	Purpose of the literature review
	Types of information and sources
		1. Facts, statistics and research findings
		2. Theories or interpretations
		3. Methods and procedures
		4. Opinions, beliefs or points of view
		5. Anecdotes, clinical impressions or narrations of incidents and situations
	Primary and secondary sources
	Depth and breadth of the review
	Developing a search strategy
		Using libraries and electronic databases
		Identifying sources
		Locating sources
		Compiling lists of identified sources and searching for them
		The review process
		Systematically recording references
		Determining additional ways of locating sources
		Reading sources critically
		Writing the review report
		Evaluating the research review
Chapter 7: Refining and defining the research question
	Refining the research question
	Research questions
		Example 1
		Example 2
	Research hypotheses
		Types of hypotheses
	Research aims and objectives
		Example 3
	Identifying variables
		Types of variables
	Defining variables
	Research proposal
Chapter 8: Quantitative research
	Important concepts and principles inquantitative research designs
		Rigour
		Causality
		Probability
		Bias
		Triangulation
	Basic and applied research
	Time dimension in research
	Classification of research designs
		Experimental designs
		Non-experimental designs
	Epidemiological research
		Epidemiological process
	Evaluating quantitative research designs
Chapter 9: Qualitative research designs
	Searching the literature in qualitative research
		Phenomenology
		Ethnography
		Grounded theory
		Philosophical inquiry
	Rigour in qualitative research
	Choice of research design
Chapter 10: Sampling
	Basic sampling concepts
		Population
		Sampling frame
		Parameter and statistics
		A representative sample
		Sampling error
		Sampling bias
	Sampling approaches
		Probability or random sampling
		Non-probability sampling
	Sample choice
	Sample size
	Sample adequacy
Chapter 11: Data collection
	The data-collection process
		What data will be collected?
		How will data be collected?
		Who will collect the data?
		Where will the data be collected?
		When will the data be collected?
	Data-collection techniques
		Observation
		Self-report techniques
		Physiological measures
		Other techniques
Chapter 12: Data quality
	Types of error
		Random errors
		Systematic errors
	Sources of measurement error
		Participant factors
		Researcher factors
		Environmental factors
		Instrumentation factors
	Validity of data-collection instruments
		Content validity
		Face validity
		Criterion-related validity
		Construct validity
	Validity of qualitative data
	Reliability of data-collection instruments
		Stability
		Internal consistency
		Equivalence reliability
	Relationship between reliability and validity
		Trustworthiness
	Other factors affecting data quality
		Sensitivity
		Efficiency
		Appropriateness
		Ability to generalise
	The pilot study and pre-test
	Measurement evaluation
Chapter 13: Data analysis
	Analysis of quantitative data
	Choosing appropriate statistical procedures
		Descriptive statistics
		Inferential statistics
	Use of graphics
	Interpretation of quantitative data
	Analysis of qualitative data
	Data-analysis evaluation
Chapter 14: Research reports and report evaluation
	Purpose of a research report
	Report formats
	Sections of the report
		The title
		Abstract
		Introduction to the study
		Literature review
		Research methodology
		Research design and strategy
		Participants
		Instrument and data collection
		Data analysis
		Results or findings
		Discussion
		References
	Style of the report
	Technical layout of the report
	The ethics of report writing
	Critical evaluation of the report
	Productive writing
Bibliography
Index