Using the attached Chapter 3 - Methods (TEMPLATE), write the methods section for your proposed research study 4-5 pages.

Chapter 3: Methodology

Ivory Coachman

National University

COH 694B

August 8, 2023

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

Introduction

The research design that will be used in this study is the qualitative research method. This is a type of research method that focuses on collecting and analyzing non-numerical data to understand the reality of the situation (Hall et al, 2022). Different research methods can be used in a study; therefore, the researcher needs to understand the nature of their study so that they can use the most effective method to collect and analyze data. The qualitative study will be used in this research because it has a variety of benefits. It addresses two important questions “How?” and “Why?”. This ensures that detailed data is collected and through analysis, the reality will be revealed. Interviews are not restricted, therefore, deeper and more useful information will be gathered. The qualitative research method is beneficial because it makes it possible to use multiple methods to gather data. The method is also efficient in the sense very few resources are used but the output is huge.

Research Question

This systematic review of articles looks forward to answering the following question:

What factors lead to poor access to healthcare by communities in rural America? What risks do rural communities face due to lack of access proper healthcare? How can the situation be resolved to increase access to healthcare in rural communities in the United States?

Description of the Participants

Participants are the people that the research is focused on; they are the subjects that the research will target to collect data (Hall et al, 2022). The selection of participants is one of the most important steps in a research process. They are the sources of data; therefore, they should be selected carefully. In this research, participants were residents of rural areas in the United States. They are the recipients of the services and will play a critical role in providing information concerning the research question. These participants were selected because they are directly affected by the situation. They will provide first-hand information that will help in understanding the situation.

Another lot of participants is made of healthcare service providers. These are professionals of different capacities in the healthcare sector working in facilities in the rural communities of the United States. They were selected randomly from different healthcare facilities in the rural areas. They have a deeper understanding of why the services they provide are not sufficient. They will be essential in providing information, especially about the resources at their disposal. The recommendations made after data analysis will largely rely on the feedback received from healthcare professionals. They come in direct contact with the patients as well as the situation on the ground, therefore, they have useful information that will help in making decisions that will solve the problems.

Government agencies responsible for different types of infrastructure such as roads and communication will also participate. They will help in addressing the issue of how infrastructure can be used to increase accessibility in rural areas. Every research has different participants. It is important to ensure that the participants have relevant information about what the study is about.

Instrumentation

The systematic review was conducted May and August 2022 using different searches such as the www.gao.gov . This is the website for the U.S. Government Accountability Office which is responsible for assisting Congress to oversee federal programs as well as operations to make sure they are accountable to the American people. Rural health is one of the areas that the GAO website has useful information about and this is why it was used to obtain data. The U.S. Department of Health also has important statistics about access to healthcare services by rural communities in the United States. These websites are reliable because the data and information available on them are based on research by professionals. They have factual content that can be used to make strategic decisions. Instruments used in research should be reliable in the sense that their content must be factual and research-based (Samuels et al, 2014). Extensive search was conducted on Google Scholar and key words and phrases included “rural health in the US”, “access to health”, “barriers to accessing healthcare”, “healthcare improvement”, and “patient satisfaction”.

Data Collection Procedures

Informed consent was used in the process. Respondents and participants were educated about the research, its purpose, the procedures to be used, and potential impacts. They voluntarily decided to take part in the process. Informed consent is an important element in healthcare research. It is in line with ethical requirements. Participants have a right to understand what is entailed in a research process (Isaacs, 2014). Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. They contained sets of questions that aimed at the primary research question. Most of the questions were open-ended allowing respondents the freedom to speak their minds. Depending on the nature of the research, different data collection procedures can be used to obtain the best outcomes.

Data Analysis and Results

The most common type of data collected was ordinal data. This type of data has ordered or ranked categories (Osuagwu, 2020). For instance, ordinal data ranks the levels of satisfaction of patients. To prepare data for analysis, it will first be assembled from the different tools that were used in the collection process. The next step involves cleaning. This implies that errors will be removed or corrected to make sure everything is accurate. The data will then be labeled so that it is easy to identify different sets of data. Lastly, the data will be validated and visualized. The data will be coded depending on the participants that it was collected from. For instance, data from residents will be coded differently from the data from healthcare professionals. Data will be initially analyzed through the grounded theory. The methodology explains the experiences of people that took part in the research; it gives meaning to their interactions.

Ethical Considerations

The study required the approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) as it involved a wide range of participants whose rights had to be observed. The first ethical consideration is the use of the informed consent protocol. Participants were educated about the research, and they confirmed that they understood what it entailed. They willingly took part in the process. The study promotes the aims by revealing problems in the system and making recommendations for how the problem can be solved. It also promotes the values of collaborative work because different stakeholders are putting their efforts together to get the work done. The research promotes moral and social values by focusing on improving accessibility to healthcare in rural communities in the United States.

References

Hall, J., Mitchel. N., Halpin, S., & Kilanko, G. (2022). Using focus groups for empowerment purposes in qualitative health research and evaluation. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 26(4): 409-423.

Osuagwu, L. (2020). Research methods: Issues and research direction. Business and Management Research, 9(3): 46-55.

Isaacs, A. (2014). An overview of qualitative research methodology for public health researchers. International Journal of Medicine and Public Health, 4(4): 318-323.