DAY 07Research process

DAY 07

F. Building the Research Framework G. Organizing an argument H. Operationalization of variables I. Selecting the type of research

Recap ….The Development process A. Phenomena stage B. Conceptualization of the study area C. Problem clarification stage

1. Problem identification 2. Justification of the importance 3. Problem statement 4. Problem analysis

D. Organizing objectives for the researchE. Research questions F. Building the Research Framework

G. Selecting the type of the research

Analysis of the problem

• Clarify the view points of the stakeholders• Specify the core problem• Analyze the problem – cause and effect diagram• Write down core problem• Brainstorm possible factors contributing to the problem• Identify further contributory factors• Organize the related factors into similar groups

Phenomena on Hospital clinic

Let s identify issues and move on to organizing the Research!

Ask questions

1. What is the area of study ?

– Health services – Hospital services – Frequent Complains regarding stagnation at

the medical clinics – Patients come in early morning ( 3am)– New reports – complains & conflicts – Visit showed – “Looking very over crowded “?

2. What are contributors? What are the results of the problem?• Analyze the problem through Cause & effect

analysis • Use a problem tree / fish bone diagram • Place the problem at the center • Find the following through proper literature review

:• List causes List effects • List sub causes List sub effects • Use published data and discussions

2. What is happening ??

• Situational Analysis • list all issues what you see and hear • stagnation , inconvenience , disorganized

process • poor seating facilities , unsatisfied patients , no

proper treatment and high risk to patients • poor administration , poor number of staff

3. What is the actual problem? ?

• Clear problem identification • Qualify and quantify • Problem - “Overcrowding of the

Medical Clinics at Teaching hospital Ragama, 2011.”

Problem statement • “GH Ragama is a second largest TH on Sri Lanka • It caters for 1000 clinic patients , 200 OPD

patients and 1200 inward patients • The clinic services clinic service consits of ……• There is overcrowding of the Medical clinics of

the teaching hospitals in Sri Lanka 2012, causing many difficulties to the patients , staff and the image of the hospitals , which needed immediate rectification.”

4. Our example – causes/ reasons

Causes Sub causes Man power issues Staff not trained

Not enough staff Staff not working

Building issues Not enough space Not enough light Not enough ventilation Disorganized layout

Equipment Not enough BP apparatus Not enough seats Not enough Tables

4. Our example

Causes Sub causes Supplies Insufficient stationary

Insufficient Pens

Methods Takes long time to search for the clinic record No proper system

4. Our examples- results / effects Results Sub effects Poor image of the hospital

Staff will get unpopular Fault finding culture

Inconvenience to staff Loss of valuable time High risks to the patientUncomfortable environments Poor satisfaction

Staff Turnover Moving to other departments Poor motivation

4. Organize and polish the objectives??

• Now Organize your Objectives • Check information collected will be:

– useful, feasible and avoid duplication

• What is the solution need • Is it to find the causes for the problem ?• Or to find the effects of the problem ?

• Remember the sandwich vs. Hamburger

• Objectives of the research– General Objectives – Specific Objectives

Topic - organized by using the general objective

4. objectives• Check information collected will be:

– useful, feasible and avoid duplication

• What is the solution need • Is it to find the causes for the problem ?• Or to find the effects of the problem ?

• Remember the sandwich vs. Hamburger• Objectives of the research

– General Objectives – Specific Objectives

Topic - organized by using the general objective

4. objectives

• General objective : To asses the over crowding of the

Medical clinics of TH Ragama , 2014

4. objectives

• Specific Objectives 1. To asses the effect of man power causes to

overcrowding of the Medical clinics of TH Ragama , 2014

2. To asses the effect of Buiding causes to overcrowding of the Medical clinics of TH Ragama , 2014

3. To asses the effect of equipment causes to overcrowding of the Medical clinics of TH Ragama , 2014

4. objectives

Specific Objectives 4. To asses the effect of supplies causes to

overcrowding of the Medical clinics of TH Ragama , 2014

5. To asses the effect of methods causes to overcrowding of the Medical clinics of TH Ragama , 2014

5. Organize and polish the Research questions

• In this study we are going to find the answers to following questions :

1. Is there overcrowding of the Medical clinics of TH Ragama , 2014 ?

2.What are the contributory causes for this problem ?

The success of the research is on how far you have found answers to the research questions at the end of the research

5. Organize and polish the Research questions

The success of the research is on how far you have found answers to the research questions at the end of the research

1. Output of the research - Research report / research publications - graduate level

2. Out come of the research – how accurate or how far you have found the answers – post graduate level

3. At any level if you did not find answers you need mentioned them as “ limitations of your study “

6. Now Lets Build the research frame work

Recap ……! III. Methodology

1. Building Research framework2. Developing an argument 3. Operationalization of the concepts4. Selection of a Study design 5. Data collection method 6. Population and sampling7. Validity and reliability 8. Ethical consideration

1. Buiding Research framework

Research Framework

• Organize a spectacle to do the research• Demarcate the area of research • Conceptual frame work • Scientific validation • Prelude to making the research operational

STAGE 02• Categorize causes and effects • Use acceptable method

– Previous studies– Discussions

• These groups become concepts of the research

Stage 2 – categorization

Problem Tree

Making concepts for the research

• Research framework is built from the problem analysis

• Causes and effects become

concepts for the research • Concepts are ideas for the research

obtained from the

Research Frame work

Research Framework

7. Now lets Create an argument

Developing an argument

Hypothesis

Argument

• Majority of the research needs an argument • Purely most research are LOGICAL• Logical research are more valid and

acceptable • We use the arguments in QUNTITATIVE

research

Developing an argument • Concepts are just ideas • The ideas to be accepted it should be logical • So we make all relations of the concepts as

argument • The argument to be proved by the end of the

research • If you are not successful you could say that your

could not proved the argument

• This is the basis for the argument or Hypothesis

Developing an argument

• Develop a logical argument for the research • Positive argument – Hypothesis • Negative argument - null hypothesis • In the research what you do is prove or

disapprove the hypothesis

Our example - Hypothesis • H01 – There is definitive overcrowding of CNTH• H 02 – Human resources have a Direct effect on

overcrowding • H 03 – Infrastructure have a Direct effect on

overcrowding • H 04 – Equipments have a Direct effect on

overcrowding • H 05 – Supplies have a Direct effect on

overcrowding

8. Now need to operationalize the research framework

3. Operationalization of the concepts

Development of the 1.variables 2.Indicators

Method

• The concepts needed to be make it measured to validate the research

• Organize the variation of the concept

• Select variables from the sub causes or the sub effects you identified

• Select variables from the sub effects or the sub effects you identified

• Indicate the concept• Find the variables related to each concept • These could be taken from your causes or

effects identified in the problem analysis • Use the same main causes or main effects• Now use the Objective of what do you want to

do • Only concentrate the areas demarcated by the

objectives

• List the variable • Define the variable • Make it independent • Find the indicator • This could be dine by studying previous research

or acceptable methodology • Then find each one an indicator • Find the method of measurement –later in the

data collection • Next step is the identifying the best reaserch

design

What are variables?

“Characteristic of a person, object or a

phenomena that takes different

forms or that varies.”

A unit that could change and could be

measured by mathematical means

Types of Variables

1. Numerical variables –

2. Categorical variables

3. Demographic -

4. Epidemiological

Types of Variables

1. Numerical variables

– takes Number form

– Weight , height ( 23 kg . and 100 cm

2. Categorical variables –

– category form

– Color , Race ( black

3. Demographic -

4. Epidemiological

3. Demographic variables

• Demography - Study of population , its structure, distribution and description

• Age , sex • Ethnicity , religion ,• Marriage , Family • occupation

Uses of Variables in research

• Variable

1. To operationalize the research framework

2. To construct questions

3. To improve the validation of data and form

tables

4. To indicate variables in statistical form &

treatment

4. Epidemiological variables

• Epidemiology - Study of disease in a population

• Epidemiological variables– Dependent - Main variable -Describe the problem of the study – Independent – independently affects the dependant variable .

Describe the direct causative factors

– Confounding – These affects both dependent and independent

variables

– They either weaken or strengthen them

– Background – only affects independent

Main Causative factor Smoking

Other factors Alcohol , occupation

Effect Lung Cancer

Problem – Dependent Main factors – Independent

Confounding –effect both Background factors Age, sex , race

Background – no direct effect

Confounding variable

Dependent variable

Independent variable

Background Variable

How to make variables in a research ?

1. Rephrasing 2. Define 3. Scales of measurement 4. Operationalizing

1. Rephrasing variables

• Making variable neutral • Example • Low number of staff - Number of available

staff • Lack of space – size of available space • No methods – methods available in the clinic • No stationary - number of available

stationary

2. Defining variables • Making variable solid • Unique and complete • To avoid confusion and bias • To ensure everyone understand the exactly what has been measured and to ensure

consistency in the measurement, definition of variable and indicators are need.• Ex. Waiting time – ‘when patient enters the front door of OPD until it is seen and a doctor or

register or \ obtain a card’• Experts comments : previous study variable and logical variable should be considered here.

• Example – Number of available staff - Number of physically available staff in the medical clinic on

wends day – Size of available space– size of available space in the patient waiting area of the clinic – Methods available in the clinic– methods available in the clinic

– number of available stationary - number of available stationary in the medical clinic on Wednesday

2. Defining variables

• Example – Number of available staff - Number of physically available

staff in the medical clinic on wends day – Size of available space– size of available space in the

patient waiting area of the clinic – Methods available in the clinic– methods available in the clinic

– number of available stationary - number of available stationary in the medical clinic on Wednesday

3. Scales of measurement

• Units of measurement for the variable • Days , SQFT , Number of staff , KG …..ect

– Number of available staff - Number of physically available staff in the medical clinic on wends day

– Size of available space– Size in SQFT of available space in the patient waiting area of the clinic

– Methods available in the clinic– number of methods available in the clinic

– number of available stationary - number of available stationary in the medical clinic on Wednesday

4. Operationalizing variables

• Making variable measurable • Use indicators• Specification of the variable• Example • Number of physically available staff in the

medical clinic on wends day - > 10 excellent : 9 to 6 acceptable : < 5 unacceptable

3. Operationalizing variables

• Size of available space in the patient waiting area of the clinic– > 100SQFT excellent : 900 SQFT – 601 SQFT acceptable : < 600 SQFT unacceptable

• Methods available in the clinic– - appointment system - excellent : numbering system - acceptable : < no method -unacceptable

• number of available stationary – every day of the month - excellent : on clinic days - acceptable : some days only -unacceptable

8. Our example

Opreationalization of the concept Concept Variable Indicator Method of

data collection Question number

Man power

Training

Attitude

Number

Number of training programmes conducted

Number of training programmes attended by the clinic staff

Wiliness to work on holidays

Number of staff available on clinic days

Questionnaire

QuestionnaireObservation

QuestionnaireObservation

Opreationalization of the concept Concept Variable Indicator Method of

data collection Question number

Building Space

Layout

Light

Ventilation

Availability of the space in SQFT waiting areas Availability of the space in SQFT consultation areas

Satisfaction with layout

Adequacy of light

Adequacy of light

QuestionnaireObservation

QuestionnaireObservation

QuestionnaireObservation

Opreationalization of the concept Concept Variable Indicator Method of data

collection Question number

Overcrowding Adequacy for patients Staff Visitors

Adequacy for patients

Adequacy for staff

Adequacy for visitors

QuestionnaireObservation

Activity

Describe your research framework indicating the conceptual framework

Identify the variable and operationalize themGive a detailed description of the variables