Module overview
Healthcare professionals should be able to engage with different forms of inquiry (such as research, audit and service evaluation) and understand how these can help inform practice. This module begins by focusing on the reasons we carry out research and other forms of inquiry, how questions arise from practice, and how we attempt to answer them. You will then be supported to plan a project that you will implement in the Research Project module in your third year.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Demonstrate ethical reasoning in the planning and design of research or quality improvement projects
- Describe and interpret basic statistical and qualitative approaches used in the analysis of data relevant to a proposed project
- Demonstrate the ability to formulate questions relevant to clinical practice that can be answered by undertaking research, quality improvement OR evidence synthesis
- Critically evaluate relevant information to inform your understanding of Health and Healthcare Practice holistically
- Conduct systematic evidence searches using relevant databases and search strategies
- Demonstrate knowledge and application of key research, quality improvement and evidence synthesis methodologies used to evaluate health and social care practice
Syllabus
This module will introduce you to different types of inquiry (empirical research, service evaluation, or scoping / systematic literature review) and explain their role within professional practice. It will also provide an overview of methods used to carry out such inquiries and the steps needed to plan a project.
The module begins with an overview of why we carry out research and other forms of inquiry and how to formulate questions that can be answered through empirical research, service evaluation, or scoping / systematic literature reviews. This is followed by content relating to the principles of how we generate knowledge using quantitative and qualitative methods. This will include learning about methods of sampling, data collection and analysis and how they relate to one another. You will also learn about the important ethical and governance considerations that ensure an inquiry can be carried out with minimal risk.
This knowledge will allow you to plan and describe a protocol (whether for empirical research, service evaluation, or scoping / systematic literature review), supported by a project supervisor. You will carry out and disseminate your research project in your third year.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
This module involves taught sessions relating to:
- the purpose of research and other types of inquiry
- methods used in research
- selecting and reviewing literature
- how to write a protocol.
The module also incorporates seminar sessions as well as group supervision meetings where you work with other students and a supervisor to plan a suitable project.
As part of a formative (unmarked) assessment, you will be required to undertake a piece of work which will support the development of your summative assignment.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 120 |
| Project supervision | 10 |
| Blended Learning | 20 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Dawn-Marie Walker. An Introduction to Health Services Research.
Pranee Liamputtong. Research Methods in Health: Foundations for Evidence-based Practice.
Ann Bowling. Research Methods in Health.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Formative Assessment
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback:
- Final Assessment:
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Project Protocol | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Project Protocol | 100% |