92972 Health Care Research Methodology

Subject level: Postgraduate

Handbook description

This subject provides an understanding and appreciation of the multiple ways through which knowledge is generated in specific relationship to the disciplines of nursing and midwifery, and health care in general. Students are exposed to the breadth of research methodologies that can be employed for such knowledge generation. Emphasis is placed on relationships between research question/problem, methodology and method. Basic descriptive research methods are used as exemplars of knowledge generation. Completion of the subject enables students to critically appraise an appropriate methodology and method for their chosen area of research inquiry. In addition, the subject explores how to situate an area of inquiry within existing knowledge, proposal writing, as well as ethical and practical issues of conducting research in nursing, midwifery and health care.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. understand the role of research in the development of knowledge in nursing, midwifery and health care in general
2. understand the fundamental elements of the research process: question development, literature review, selection of methodology, data collection, analysis, interpretation of results, and oral or written dissemination of findings
3. develop and extend your ability to identify, appraise and synthesise key literature related to a research area or a specific research problem
4. demonstrate the ability to conceptualise clearly a research problem or question in relation to existing knowledge and development of knowledge in the research field
5. develop an understanding of the relationship between theoretical frameworks, research questions, and research methodologies and designs
6. provide an argument to support the selection of a specific research methodology/design as appropriate for investigation a research area or addressing a specific research question.

Content

• Advancing knowledge in nursing, midwifery and health services through research
• The range of methodological approaches and methods currently employed in nursing, midwifery and health services research
• Stages of the research process
• The role of theoretical frameworks and conceptual models in research
• Identifying an area of research and a researchable problem
• Strategies for conducting a literature review: searching, reading, critiquing, organising and synthesising knowledge relevant to the research area or problem
• Developing and refining a research problem into a focused question
• The need for congruence in selection of research methodologies, designs, types of data and forms of analyses
• Introduction to understanding statistics
• Developing research designs to answer specific research questions
• The role of rigour in nursing research.