Planning for Health Policy Research

In this assignment, think about the policies that have been put into place at the state and/or local level to respond to COVID-19.  Some examples of state and local policies are:

· Mask mandates

· Limitations for certain types of businesses such as restaurants, bars, theaters, salons, churches, etc.

· Healthcare facility restrictions such as limiting visitors, delaying elective procedures, etc.

· School system policies such as virtual learning, hybrid schedules, sporting event restrictions, etc. 

Once you have identified a policy that you are interested in learning more about, consider what research you could conduct to know more about this policy decision and/or its impact. 

For example, you may want to consider conducting research on areas such as: 

· How the policy was implemented

· How the policy was enforced

· How the people affected by the policy feel about the policy

· What impact the policy had

Based on the what information you would like to gather about the policy,  you will design a research study to try to answer the question(s) you have. 

 

Instructions

Prepare a written plan for your research study that addresses each of the following components. 

I. Conceptualization:

1. Describe the  purpose  of your research study.  Explain WHAT you want to learn from your proposed research and WHY you think that is important.

2. Develop a  specific research hypothesis or research question .  To help you develop a research hypothesis, review "Forming a Forming a Good Hypothesis for Scientific Research" from Verywell Mind

· https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-hypothesis-2795239 (Links to an external site.)

II. Methods:

Discuss the methods you will use in your research.

1. Will your research be exploratory, descriptive or explanatory?  Why?

III. Design:

Create a detailed plan for how you will conduct your study.  Be specific enough so that someone who is reading your plan would know how to implement it.

1. What population will you study? How will you select individuals to participate in your research?

2. Will you use qualitative methods, quantitative methods, or both for your study? Describe  which specific methods  of data collection you will use and  why you chose those methods .

3. For each method of data collection, prepare a guide.

· For example, if you are doing observation, list what locations you are going to observe and when, who will do the observation, how many episodes of observation, or how long the observations will be. If you are using a survey, prepare a sample survey with questions and response options and discuss how it will be administered (online, in person, mail, phone, etc.).

When you post your response, make sure to number each part of your response to coordinate with the questions presented.  A template is attached for you to use in preparing your response.  

Health Policy Research Assignment Template.docx

Actions

Sources & Citations

You should identify  at least three  of your own sources to support your responses.  This does not include your textbook.  You should cite your textbook if you rely on it for your responses, but it does not count as one of your three sources.  Government websites, professional associations, and health policy groups are great sources of information.  Avoid unknown sources of information that may not be credible or reliable.    You may want to do some research to see if others have conducted similar studies - and if so, how could you use their work to help you in your own research.

Using in text citations is required in addition to your list of sources at the end.  Review APA format if you are not sure how to cite a source.  Here is a resource on citing Internet sources. https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/writing/using-sources/citing-internet-sources