Research Methods for Biomedical Sciences-Pharmacy PDF

RESEARCH METHODS FOR BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES-PHARMACY: 2- Reasearch Questions & Objectives. Dr. Faten Amer, PhD  Steps in Research Process 1. What we want to find out? (Formulating the Research Problem/ question/ hypotheses) 2. Extensive Literature Review...

RESEARCH METHODS FOR BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES-PHARMACY: 2- Reasearch Questions & Objectives. Dr. Faten Amer, PhD  Steps in Research Process 1. What we want to find out? (Formulating the Research Problem/ question/ hypotheses) 2. Extensive Literature Review 3. Developing the proposal including: objectives, methodology such as research design, sampling method, population, sample frame, sample size determination, method of data collection, data collection tool including scales and variables, validation. 4. Ethical considerations including Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and consent form 1  Steps in Research Process 5. Pre-test/ Piloting (reliability) 6. Data collection 7. Data entry, cleaning and coding 8. Statistical analysis of Data 9. Presentation of Results 10. Interpretation of results 11. Preparation of the report (slide 4) 2 3  Research (clinical research) like human body has two elements: ⚫ Anatomy: What is made of (structure of research)? ⚫ Physiology: How it works? 4  6 5 6 7 Volume typically refers to the number of years the publication has been circulated Issue refers to how many times that Issue periodical has been published during that year" 8  Title ✔✔✔✔ Abstract last lecture Authors -The sequence: First, second, last, etc... -The affiliation of an author is the place (institution) at which the author conducted the research that they have reported/ written about. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0050018 9  The introduction It should contain five main components, the sixth is optional: 1. General background information 2. Specific background information 3. A description of the gap in our knowledge that the study was designed to fill (Novelty) 4. The Importance of solving this gap 5. A statement of study objective 6. Conceptual framework (Optional) 10  Terms Relating to Research Problems 1. A research problem is an enigmatic or troubling condition. The purpose of research is to “solve” the problem—or to contribute to its solution—by gathering relevant data. 2. A problem statement articulates the problem and an argument that explains the need for a study. 3. A statement of purpose a summary of an overall goal. Sometimes the words aim or objective are used. 4. The research questions are the specific queries researchers want to answer. Researchers who make specific predictions about answers to research questions pose 11 5. The hypotheses that are then tested.  1. Research Problem & Problem Statement A good problem statement is a declaration of what it is that “needs fixing,” or what it is that is poorly understood. Problem statements, especially for 1. Problem quantitative identification studies, often have most of the following six components: (Ex.: What is wrong with the current situation?) 2. Background (Ex.: What is the nature of the problem that readers need to understand?) 3. Scope of the problem (Ex.: How big is the problem; # of persons affected?) 4. Consequences of the problem (Ex.: What is the cost of not fixing it?) 5. Knowledge gaps (Ex.: What info is lacking?) 6. Proposed solution (Ex.: How will this new study contribute to solving the problem?) 12  2. Statement of Purpose -The goal/ aim/ purpose/ objective Numerically listed, clear, complete, specific (one aspect), can be general or sub-objective. -In a quantitative study, a statement of purpose identifies the key study variables and their possible interrelationships as well as the population of interest Ex.: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an education-support intervention delivered in home settings to people with chronic heart failure, in terms of their functional status, self-efficacy, quality of life, and self-care ability (Clark et al., 2015). -In qualitative studies, the statement of purpose indicates the nature of the inquiry; the key concept or phenomenon; and the group, community, or setting under study. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of religiosity and spirituality on rural parents’ decision to vaccinate their 9- to 13-year-old children against human papillomavirus (HPV) (Thomas et al., 2015). 13  3. How to write a research question? You can follow these steps to develop a strong research question: 1. Choose your topic 2. Do some preliminary reading about the current state of the field 3. Narrow your focus to a specific niche 4. Identify the research problem that you will address Quantitative vs. Qualitative Is? Does? vs. Why? How? What? How many? How much? 14  How to write a research question? 15  Writing Strong Research Questions –Criteria/characterstics: Focused on a single problem or issue Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints Specific enough to answer thoroughly Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=195&v=71- GucBaM8U&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.s cribbr.com%2F&source_ve_path=MTM5MTE3LDM2ODQyLD M2ODQyLDM2ODQyLDM2ODQyLDM2ODQyLDM2ODQyLDEz OTExNywyODY2Ng&feature=emb_logo 16  4. Hypothesis -Hunches, guesses, or predictions that help researchers seek a solution or answer a research question. -Ex.: chlorhexidine is more effective than povidone-iodine is in preventing central line catheter infections. -You will often find research questions or hypotheses at the beginning of a research article. However, because of space constraints or stylistic considerations in such publications, they may be embedded in the purpose, aims, goals. 17  Example: Table 1. Terms Relating to Research Problems with Examples Term Example Topic Side effects of chemotherapy Research Nausea and vomiting are common side effects among patients on problem chemotherapy, and interventions to date have been only (problem moderately successful in reducing these effects. New interventions statement) that can reduce or prevent these side effects need to be identified Statement of The purpose of the study is to compare the effectiveness of purpose patient-controlled versus nurse-administered antiemtic therapy for controlling nausea and vomiting in patient on chemotherapy Research What is the relative effectiveness of patient-controlled antiemetic question therapy versus nurse-controlled antiemetic therapy with regard to (1) medication consumption and (2) control of nausea and vomiting in patients on chemotherapy? Hypotheses Subjects recieving antiemetic therapy by a patient-controlled pump will (1) be less nauseaous, (2) vomit less, and (3) consume less medication than subjects recieving nurse-administered therapy. 18 19  OBJECTIVES From the viewpoint of objectives, a research can be classified as: 1. Descriptive; 2. Correlational; 3. Explanatory; 4. Exploratory. 20  DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH 1. Describes data & characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. 2. It doesn’t answer questions about e.g. how/when/why. 3. It can tell us “how often” or “how many” 4. The description is used for frequencies, averages and other statistical calculations. 21  CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH 1. The systematic investigation of relationships among two or more variables, without necessarily determining cause & effect. 2. It doesn’t answer questions about e.g. how/when/why? 3. It can tell us “Yes or no questions”? 22  EXPLANATORY RESEARCH The goal of all explanatory research is to answer the question of why (i.e. determining cause & effect) Experimental study 23  EXPLORATORY RESEARCH 1. Is a type of research conducted for a problem that has not been clearly defined. 2. Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data collection method, and selection of subjects. 3. Exploratory research often relies on secondary research such as reviewing available literatures and/or data, or qualitative approaches such as informal discussions with consumers, employees, and more formal approaches through focus groups, case studies or pilot studies. 24  EXPLORATORY RESEARCH-CONT. 1. To find truth 2. To Solve problems 3. For future plans The results of qualitative research can give some indication as to the “why”, “how”, and “when” something occurs, it cannot tell us “how often” or “how many” 25  Thank you 26