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Introduction to Research in the Health Sciences E-Book

Introduction to Research in the Health Sciences E-Book

Stephen Polgar | Shane A. Thomas

(2011)

Additional Information

Abstract

Like the previous versions, the fifth edition of An Introduction to Research in the Health Sciences has two overall aims. 1) To introduce the fundamental principles of research methodology and explain how these principles are applied for conducting research in the health sciences. 2) To demonstrate how evidence produced through research is applied to solving problems in everday health care. This book is written in an accessible style. It maintains the traditions of the previous editions, with examples, questions, feedback sections, and an extensive glossary.

  • Uses simple language and demystifies the jargon
  • Provides built-in feedback for readers to assess their own progress
  • Gives examples relating directly to the health sciences
  • Provides an extensive glossary for better understanding of the language of research
  • Addresses qualitative as well as quantitative research issues
  • Includes a chapter focussing on the use of qualitative methods in health research
  • Includes a chapter for discussing systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • Contains more revision questions Increased emphasis throughout on evidence based concepts
  • More and updated discussion of qualitative research methods
  • New section on basic epidemiological concepts as a research approach
  • More discussion of analysis and use of administrative and secondary data sets as research resources
  • Complete rewrite of the chapter on causal research
  • Stronger links between the sections on different stages of research

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Front Cover Cover
Introduction to Research in the Health Sciences iii
Copyright Page iv
Table of Contents v
Dedication ii
Preface vii
Section One: The scientific method 1
Chapter One: Methods and health research 3
Introduction 3
Methods and knowledge 3
The scientific method and positivism 5
Controversies concerning the nature of method: post-positivism 7
Science and the cultural context 9
Pragmatism: the combined use of quantitative and qualitative methods 10
Research and clinical practice 11
Summary 12
Self-assessment 12
Section One: Discussion, questions and answers 15
Section Two: Research planning 19
Chapter Two. Research planning 21
Introduction 21
Sources of research questions 21
The formulation of research questions 22
The justification of research questions 22
Formulation of research aims 23
Research strategies 23
Research planning: ethical considerations 24
Selection of research strategies: economic considerations 26
Steps in research planning 27
Summary 27
Self-assessment 27
Chapter Three. Sampling methods and external validity 31
Introduction 31
What is sampled in a study 32
Basic issues in sampling 32
Representative samples 32
Sample size 35
Sampling issues in qualitative research 37
Purposive sampling 37
External validity and sampling 39
Summary 40
Self-assessment 40
Chapter Four. Causal research and internal validity 43
Introduction 43
Causality 44
Threats to internal validity in intervention studies 44
The need for control 46
The use of control groups in clinical research 46
Summary 47
Self-assessment 47
Section Two: Discussion, questions and answers 49
Section Three: Research designs 53
Chapter Five. Experimental designs and intervention studies 55
Introduction 55
Experimental research 56
Assignment of participants into groups 56
Different experimental designs 57
External validity of experiments and RCTs 58
Controlled research involving human participants 59
Summary 60
Self-assessment 60
Chapter Six. Surveys and quasi-experimental designs 65
Introduction 65
Naturalistic non-experimental research designs 66
Surveys 66
Epidemiology 66
Quasi-experimental designs 69
The internal and external validity of naturalistic designs 71
Summary 72
Self-assessment 72
Chapter Seven. Single case (n = 1) designs 75
Introduction 75
AB designs 76
ABAB designs 76
Multiple baseline designs 77
The interpretation of the results for n = 1 designs 78
The validity of n = 1 designs 79
Summary 80
Self-assessment 80
Chapter Eight. Qualitative research 83
Introduction 83
What is qualitative research? 84
Data collection and interpretation in qualitative field research 84
Qualitative field research 87
The integration of quantitative and qualitative methodologies 88
The validity of qualitative field research 89
Summary 89
Self-assessment 90
Section Three: Discussion, questions and answers 93
Section Four: Data collection 97
Chapter Nine. Questionnaire design 99
Introduction 99
Questionnaire construction 99
Questions and questionnaire formats 100
The overall structure of questionnaires 104
Summary 104
Self-assessment 104
Chapter Ten. Interview techniques and the analysis of interview data 107
Introduction 107
Structured and unstructured interviews 107
Methods of conducting interviews 108
The interview process 109
Methods of recording interview information 110
The analysis of interview data 112
Summary 113
Self-assessment 114
Chapter Eleven. Observation 115
Introduction 115
Overview of different approaches to observation 115
Observer roles 118
Observation in qualitative field research 119
Observation in quantitative research 121
Summary 121
Self-assessment 122
Chapter Twelve. Measurement 125
Introduction 125
Operational definitions and measurement 125
Objective and subjective measures 126
Desirable properties of measurement tools and procedures 126
Standardized measures and tests 130
Measurement scale types 130
Summary 133
Self-assessment 133
Section Four: Discussion, questions and answers 137
Section Five: Descriptive statistics 141
Chapter Thirteen. Organization and presentation of data 143
Introduction 143
The organization and presentation of nominal or ordinal data 144
Organization and presentation of interval or ratio data 146
Simple descriptive statistics 148
Summary 150
Self-assessment 150
Chapter Fourteen. Measures of central tendency and variability 155
Introduction 155
Measures of central tendency 156
Comparison of the mode, median and mean 157
Measures of variability 158
Summary 161
Self-assessment 161
Chapter Fifteen. Standard scores and the normal curve 165
Introduction 165
Standard scores (z scores) 165
Normal distributions 166
Calculations of areas under the normal curve 168
Standard normal curves for the comparison of distributions 169
Summary 170
Self-assessment 171
Chapter Sixteen. Correlation 175
Introduction 175
Correlation 176
Correlation coefficients 177
Calculation of correlation coefficients 177
Uses of correlation in the health sciences 179
Correlation and causation 182
Summary 182
Self-assessment 183
Section Five: Discussion, questions and answers 187
Section Six: Inferential statistics 191
Chapter Seventeen. Probability and sampling distributions 193
Introduction 193
Probability 194
Sampling distributions 196
Sampling distribution of the mean 197
Application of the central limit theorem to calculating confidence intervals 199
Confidence intervals where n is small: the t distribution 200
Summary 202
Self-assessment 202
Chapter Eighteen. Hypothesis testing 207
Introduction 207
A simple illustration of hypothesis testing 208
The logic of hypothesis testing 209
Steps in hypothesis testing 209
Directional and non-directional hypotheses and corresponding critical values of statistics 210
Statistical decisions with single sample means 212
Errors in inference 214
Summary 215
Self-assessment 216
Chapter Nineteen. Selection and use of statistical tests 219
Introduction 219
The relationship between descriptive and inferential statistics 220
Selection of the appropriate inferential test 220
The χ2 test 222
χ2 and contingency tables 223
Statistical packages 225
Summary 227
Self-assessment 227
Chapter Twenty. The interpretation of research evidence 231
Introduction 231
Effect size 231
How to interpret null (non-significant) results 233
Statistical power analysis 234
Clinical decision making 235
Summary 236
Section Six: Discussion, questions and answers 239
Section Seven: Dissemination and critical evaluation of research 243
Chapter Twenty One. Qualitative data analysis 245
Introduction 245
Understanding meaning in everyday life 246
Coding qualitative data 246
Content analysis 247
Thematic analysis, verstehen and grounded theory 248
Interpretation and social context 249
The accuracy of qualitative data analysis 251
Summary 251
Self-assessment 252
Chapter Twenty Two. Presentation of health science research 255
Introduction 255
The structure of research publications 255
The style of research publications 258
The publication process 258
Ethics of presenting research 258
Summary 259
Self-assessment 259
Chapter Twenty Three. Critical evaluation of published research 263
Introduction 263
Critical evaluation of the introduction 264
Critical evaluation of the methods section 265
Critical evaluation of the results 266
Critical evaluation of the discussion 267
Summary 269
Self-assessment 269
Chapter Twenty Four. Synthesis of research evidence 273
Introduction 273
Basic principles 274
Systematic reviews 274
Meta-analysis 277
Validity of systematic reviews 280
The Cochrane Collaboration 280
Summary 281
Self-assessment 282
Section Seven: Discussion, questions and answers 285
Section Eight 289
Glossary of research terms 291
References and further reading 301
Answers to questions 305
Appendix A: z scores and associated areas between z and mean and beyond 317
Appendix B: t distribution 323
Appendix C: Chi-square (χ2) 325
Index 327