Kathryn H. Jacobsen - Introduction to Health Research Methods

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jacobsen, Kathryn H., author.

Title: Introduction to health research methods / Kathryn Jacobsen.

Description: Third edition. | Burlington, MA : Jones & Bartlett Learning, [2021] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019047577 | ISBN 9781284197631 (paperback)

Subjects: MESH: Biomedical Researchmethods | Research Design

Classification: LCC R852 | NLM W 20.5 | DDC 610.72/4dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019047577

6048

Printed in the United States of America

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DmitriyRazinkov/Shutterstock

DmitriyRazinkov/Shutterstock

DmitriyRazinkov/Shutterstock

Research is the necessary foundation for meaningful improvements in clinical and public health practice. Research helps us learn how to be healthier and how to help our families, friends, patients, communities, and nations improve and maintain their health. We rely on researchers to identify risk factors for infections, noncommunicable diseases, and injuries and to determine which interventions are most effective at preventing adverse health conditions and improving individual and community health status. But it is not just the outcomes of research that make research rewarding. The research process itselfthe systematic exploration of the unknown that discovers answers to important questionscan be exciting. The goal of this book is to make the health research process accessible, manageable, and perhaps even enjoyable for new investigators.

This is not a book about the theory of research; it is a book about how to do research. The book provides a practical, step-by-step guide to the entire research process. All research projects follow the same steps: identifying a focused research question, choosing a study design, collecting data that will answer the question, analyzing the accumulated evidence, and disseminating the findings. The investigation proceeds through these same basic steps regardless of whether the researchers are surveying community members, running clinical trials, conducting focus groups, analyzing existing data sets, or synthesizing the existing literature through meta-analysis. The same steps are followed whether the researcher is trained in medicine, nursing, public health, dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, dietetics and nutrition, athletic training, health policy, psychology, sociology, counseling, speech-language pathology, respiratory therapy, radiation technology, pharmacy, podiatry, optometry, audiology, or any other clinical or social science discipline. The steps are the same regardless of whether the investigator is an undergraduate student, a masters or doctoral candidate, or a seasoned professional.

Health research is an intentional process that requires fastidiousness and perseverance, but it does not have to be complicated. Anyone who is willing to follow the steps outlined in this guidebook can conceptualize a research project and see it through to completion. Pursuing a research project may lead to the acquisition of new skills, the fulfillment of degree or work requirements, the satisfaction of personal curiosity, and even the opportunity to become a published author. More importantly, every project, no matter how modest, has the potential to contribute to expanding the knowledge base for the health sciences. Researchers who see their projects through to completion may eventually see their findings translated into improved patient care, enriched organizational effectiveness, and enhanced community health. This book is an invitation to make your own contribution to the evidence base that will inform future decisions about promoting healthy behaviors, allocating health resources, and preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases.