Applied Research Methods in Healthcare Organizations

This course is a seminar in health policy that will focus on the topic of health services research and the role of research in supporting, creating, or challenging health policy. Each week, a component of research methodology will be presented. In addition, assigned readings consisting of published research on health services will be utilized as a springboard for class discussion. Readings will be chosen for their usefulness in illustrating the research methodology under discussion. In addition to critically evaluating each of these research reports in class discussions, students will work in teams to: identify a researchable problem based on their workplace experiences; formulate the research question and hypothesis; identify the variables to be studied and apply a conceptual or theoretical framework to the research question; conduct a comprehensive and critical literature review related to the research question; and choose an appropriate research methodology and defend this choice. The work of research teams will result in both a class presentation and a final paper.

Fall, Spring

033084