Handbook of Health Research Methods: Investigation, Measurement and Analysis

Section 1: Introduction

1. Introduction: research on health and health care
2. Describing and evaluating health systems

Section 2: Multidisciplinary methods of investigation

3. Evidence based health care: systematic reviews
4. Critical appraisal
5. Features and designs of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials and non-randomised experimental designs
6. Epidemiological study designs in health care research and evaluation
7. Finding and using secondary data on the health and health care of populations
8. Quantitative social science: The survey
9. Approaches to qualitative data collection in social science
10. Combined qualitative and quantitative designs
11. Design and analysis of social intervention studies in health research
12. Area-based studies and the evaluation of multilevel influences on health outcomes
13. Mathematical models in health care
14. Economic evaluation of health care

Section 3: Multidisciplinary research measurement

15. Psychological approaches to measuring and modelling clinical decision making
16. Approaches to measuring patients' decision making
17. Techniques of questionnaire design
18. Measuring health outcomes from the patient's perspective
19. Genetics, health and population genetics research
20. Tools of psychosocial biology and health care research

Section 4: Data analysis

21. Key issues in the statistical analysis of quantitative data in research on health and health services
22. Key issues in the analysis of qualitative data on health services research

Section 5. Essential issues to consider when conducting research

23. Involving service users in health services research
24. Ethical and political issues in the conduct of research
25. Training for research

General glossary
General further reading
Index

"an ideal set text" Angela Scriven, Course Leader, Brunel University

• Which research method should I use to evaluate services?
• How do I design a questionnaire?
• How do I conduct a systematic review of research?

This handbook helps researchers to plan, carry out, and analyse health research, and evaluate the quality of research studies. The book takes a multidisciplinary approach to enable researchers from different disciplines to work side-by-side in the investigation of population health, the evaluation of health care, and in health care delivery.

Handbook of Health Research Methods is an essential tool for researchers and postgraduate students taking masters courses, or undertaking doctoral programmes, in health services evaluation, health sciences, health management, public health, nursing, sociology, socio-biology, medicine and epidemiology. However, the book also appeals to health professionals who wish to broaden their knowledge of research methods in order to make effective policy and practice decisions.

Contributors: Joy Adamson, Geraldine Barrett, Jane P. Biddulph, Ann Bowling, Sara Brookes, Jackie Brown, Simon Carter, Michel P. Coleman, Paul Cullinan, George Davey Smith, Paul Dieppe, Jenny Donovan, Craig Duncan, Shah Ebrahim, Vikki Entwistle, Clare Harries, Lesley Henderson, Kelvyn Jones, Olga Kostopoulou, Sarah J. Lewis, Richard Martin, Martin McKee, Graham Moon, Ellen Nolte, Alan O’Rourke, Ann Oakley, Tim Peters, Tina Ramkalawan, Caroline Sanders, Mary Shaw, Andrew Steptoe, Jonathan Sterne, Anne Stiggelbout, S.V. Subramanian, Kate Tilling, Liz Twigg, Suzanne Wait.