basic concepts in research by Dr Likwa

1. Introduction to Research
Methodology
Today’s Sessions Cover:
Definition
Benefits/Importance of Research in
Medicine or Health
Characteristics and Purposes of Research
The Research Process

2. Introduction to Research Methodology
What is Research?
Research is a systematic collection, analysis,
interpretation of data to answer a certain
question or to solve a problem.
In short, it is a systematic process for
generating new knowledge.

3. Introduction to Research
Why research?
Research is a systematic process for
generating new knowledge.
•Knowledge is power and research is essential
for advancing development- In medical field,
research is necessary for health and
development.

4. Research
Four possible reasons are considered:
1. Action and Research: Research is essential
for guiding action- Action without tools and
intelligence can be ineffective and wasteful of
resources. Appropriate research can inform and
accelerate the efficiency and effectiveness of
action for health. Research generates
information and understanding that enable
individuals, families and communities to achieve
better health.

5. Research
2. Developing new tools: extraordinarily
powerful tools against diseases have been
developed. Such examples are: - vaccines to
prevent disease, pesticides to control disease
vectors, drugs to treat diseases.
Research is not only for biomedical advances-but
also for understanding of disease
causation, health behaviour, economics and
management of health systems.

6. Research
•All societies have health problems for which new tools are
needed- examples, malaria, AIDS need further search in
biology and epidemiology.
•Modern science offers opportunities for advances that can
be exploited only through research-
•Molecular biology, genetics and immunology provide
better understanding for mechanisms of disease and
generating new technologies.
•A range of new vaccines, drugs and diagnostics against
major health problems can be developed based on modern
biology.

7. Research
3. Multiplying benefits:
Critical reason for medical or health research
is to provide basis for effective planning and
wise use of scarce resources.
Research has demonstrated to be a productive
investment through cost-effectiveness.
Flow of benefits is customarily considered as
emerging from advanced laboratories in
industrialized countries, and research advances
in developing countries.

8. Research
Multiplying benefits (cont.):
For example: lower-cost ambulatory treatment of
tuberculosis, or development of oral rehydration for
diarrhoea, both developed in Asia.
Research can reduce costs- because new
strategies can be achieved more with fewer
resources-thus target limited resources to save
more lives.
For example- new and powerful strategy, such as
using trained community health workers, backed
by few fully trained health professionals to extend
PHC care to rural communities.

9. Research
Multiplying benefits (cont.):
 Management research can improve the
efficiency of health systems, through
evaluation strategies, producing greater
results for the same cost.
Research can reveal better ways to finance
the recurrent costs of health systems by
applying cost analysis methods of application.
Research can further find more efficient
ways to deploy resources, such as
identification of risk groups for resource
allocation.

10. Research
4. Research and development Process:
Critical parts of development process
encompasses:
a) A better understanding of research
b) a growing capacity to conduct research
c) an increasing number of research
experts/leaders
Research informs the attitudes with which
people think about themselves and their
world/ environments.

11. Research and Deve. Process (cont.):
Research fosters a scientific problem-solving
culture, i.e without research, a society’s capacity to
address problems, old and new, is diminished.
 Research is necessary to anticipate problems,
because in the complex systems that affect health,
common sense can be misleading- for example:
-Taking into consideration that ‘food cures
hunger,’food aid can weaken price incentives to local
farmers, undermines local agricultural production
increase vulnerable to hunger.
-Insecticides kills pests, but massive use affects
health of human population.

12. Research
Research and development:
 Scientists as citizens perform a societal
role beyond technology generation.
Individuals successfully engaged in
research can contribute to high standards of
creativity, independence, and commitments to
truth- All these values are part of social and
human development.

13. Research
In summary:
Research is a system involving people,
institutions, and processes.
Its pursuit depends on systematic analyses,
creativity, and exploration.
Results from research traverse many
channels to find their ultimate use.
Social benefits of research, in turn, help to
stimulate an effective demand for research

14. Research
Research and its demand and use are
depended upon the underlying intellectual
and organisational capacity of a society.
Research policy deals with research
processes, the application of findings,
research capacity and the decision making
processes determining what research is done
and how it is supported.

15. Research
Figure: The Research System:
Research
Financial support for Promote
Guides
research inform basic
Demand for research
policy
public knowledge and
action
Public support
for research Health improvement

16. Research
What are Characteristics of Research?
 First, it demands a clear statement of the
problem.
Second, it requires a plan, i.e a research
proposal development.
Thirdly,it builds on existing data, using both
positive and negative findings, and
fourthly, new data should be collected as
required and be organised in such a way that
they answer the original research question or
questions.

17. Research:
Research Purposes:
Research serves two major purposes in
acceleration of advances in health:
1. Basic Research- is necessary to generate
new knowledge and technologies to deal with
major unresolved health or medical problems.
2. Applied Research- to identify priority
problems, design and evaluate policies and
programmes that will deliver the greatest
health benefit by making optimal use of
available resources. Example of such is HSR.

18. Research
The Research Process:
Scientific knowledge is knowledge provable by
both reason and experience (observation)- no
speculations, but intelligent guess.
Research process- is the overall scheme of
scientific activities in which scientists engage in
order to produce knowledge- it is the paradigm of
scientific inquiry.
It consists of seven principal stages: problem,
hypothesis, research design, measurement, data
collection and generalisation.

19. Research
The Research Process:
 It is the principal stage of research
methodology of scientific inquiry and
discipline.
Each of these stages is interrelated with
theory in the sense that it is affected by it as
well as affects it.
The most characteristic feature of the
research process is the cyclic nature.

20. Introduction to Research
The Research Process:
It usually starts with a problem and ends in
a tentative empirical generalisation.
The generalisation ending one cycle is the
beginning of the next cycle.
This cyclic process continues indefinitely-reflecting
the progress of a scientific
discipline.
Research process is also self-correcting .

21. Research
The Research Process:
 Tentative generalisations to research
problems are tested logically and
empirically.
If these generalisations are rejected, new
ones are formulated and tested.
 In the process of reformulation, all the
research operations are re-evaluated,
because the rejection of generalisation
might be due to deficiencies in performing
the research operations.

22. Research
The Research Process:
For example, a generalisation that ‘
economic crises lead to increased
government spending’ can be rejected if it
cannot be logically validated and empirically
verified.
Generalisation can also be rejected, even if
it is ‘true’, if procedures for validation and
verification ( for example, research design,
measurement and data analysis) are
deficient.

23. Research
The Research Process:
To minimize the risk of rejecting true
generalisations, one needs to re-examine
each of the stages in the research process
prior to the formulation of new
generalisations.

24. NBS Students: Research
Figure: Principles stages of research process:
Problem
Theory
Hypothesis
Research design
Measurement
Generalisation
Data analysis
Data collection