Abbreviated Quantitative Research Plan Overview

1.1 Research Topic (2 paragraphs)

First Paragraph: Describe the specific topic to be studied.

Second Paragraph: Describe the significance of this topic to your program or field (Psychology, Counseling, Business, Technology, Public Service Leadership, Education, et cetera) and to your specialization within your program.

The Research Topic should be correctly formed:

The Research Topic should be appropriate for the specialization.

The Research Topic should use appropriate language for key concepts/phenomena.

Relationships and correlations between/among the concepts should be clearly specified.

The target population should be named.

The concepts should be appropriately focused.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

This study aims at establishing the relationship between physicians’ perception of their work-life and patient healthcare outcomes. The topic aims at investigating the hypothesis that healthcare outcomes for patients are severed by dissatisfaction caused by poor work-life balances for physicians. K-level physicians where be the population under study in the research (Williams, 2018).

This study is particularly of significance since is it touches on issues of psychology. Work-life balance is related to physicians’ mental health. When physicians spend prolonged periods working, chances are that they suffer from burnout, characterized by depression and as they attempt to balance between work-related and personal and parental responsibilities (Ariely & Lanier, 2015).

1.2 Research Problem (1 Paragraph)

Write a brief statement that fully describes the problem being addressed.

In simplified terms, the research problem should take this form:

“The research literature on _________ indicates that we know ________, we know __________, but we do not know ______________.”

The Research Problem should be correctly stated:

Existing literature and key findings should be summarized.

Gaps or problems in the existing literature should be clearly formulated.

The Research Problem should be explicitly stated, not implied.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

Literature in physician work-life balance and job satisfaction suggest that physician grapple with work-life balance issues brought about by their demanding work schedules (Strong et al., 2013). The straining then leads to job dissatisfaction and burnout. While this job dissatisfaction and burnout is mooted to cause negative patient outcomes, there exists no evidence that links job dissatisfaction and burnout caused by demanding schedules to negative patient outcomes.

2.1 Research Problem Background (3 paragraphs)

Provide a brief summary of your review of the research literature on the topic. This should include citations from at least 10 articles, but should indicate that you have performed a full review of the literature (minimum of 75 articles) on the topic. This should be demonstrated by providing a statement about the body of existing literature on the topic, then, summarizing recent research findings on the topic, highlighting the findings that are most relevant to your proposed study, demonstrating how your proposed research could add to the existing literature on the topic. Be sure to provide appropriate in text citations and include references in the reference section.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

This will not be your full dissertation literature review, but rather an initial foundation. You will continue to add to your literature review throughout your dissertation process.

Shanafelt et al (2015) that the job dissatisfaction and burnout among physicians deteriorated for the period between 2011 and 2014. Physicians were seen to be working more hours compared to the typical American worker which led to more than 50% of the physicians reporting that they had surfed from professional burnout (Shanafelt et al, 2016a).

The problem of long working hours is compounded by the technical and intellectual demands of physician work. Their duties involve high risks and little margin for error in the use of healthcare equipment and in diagnosis (Shanafelt et al., 2016a). As such, there is a problem of high rates of job dissatisfaction and professional burnout in a field that requires a physician to be at least satisfied and to be fresh to maximize their output.

Strong et al indicate that physicians are now more than ever determined to enhance their work-life balance. Physicians as other workers in medicine, are more likely to identify barriers to work-life balances than any other employees (Shanafelt et al., 2015). Therefore, they are more likely to suffer from job dissatisfaction and professional burnout if they feel that their responsibilities are severing the balance between their personal/family life and work responsibilities (Shanafelt et al., 2019a). Therefore, dissatisfaction and professional burnout are very likely for physicians. An analysis of the effect that those issues could have on patients’ healthcare outcomes is, therefore, necessitated.

2.2 Research Question(s)

List the primary Research Question and any subquestions that the proposed study will address.

Your Research Question (s) should be correctly formed:

The Research Question(s) should be aligned with your Research Problem, the Research Topic, and the Dissertation Title.

There should be separate Research Question(s) and/or subquestions identified for each intended analysis.

The Research Question(s) should be phrased in a way that it can be answered by the intended methodology and analyses.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

Given the above research problem background, we ask the question,

RQ1: Is there a relationship between physician job dissatisfaction and professional burnout on the one hand and patients’ outcomes on the other hand?

RQ2: If there is any relationship between the variables, what kind of a relationship is it?

2.3 Purpose of the Study

State the purpose of the study. The purpose of the study will be to answer the research question in order to solve the research problem and to contribute information about the wider social or community problem to a specific audience or audiences.

Note: Describe the purpose using the language of your specific study, topic, research problem, and research question.

The purpose of this study is to establish whether there exists a correlation between physicians’ job dissatisfaction, professional burnout and patients’ healthcare outcomes.

2.4 Methodology and Basic Design Overview

Provide an overview of the research methodology and design that you are proposing

State your rationale for studying the Research Problem with a quantitative research methodology.

State your study’s research design (non-experimental, experimental, quasi-experimental, etc.), and the rationale for selecting that design (why the design is appropriate for answering the Research Question).

Briefly describe the data collection, statistical models, and analysis that will be used to conduct the study.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources

A quantitative research methodology will be carried out for the study. Quantitative data will be collected in interviews where interviewees will be asked to give scale ratings of their job satisfactions and professional burnout experience (Shanafelt et al., 2019a). They will also be asked to provide scale ratings of their patients’ outcomes. An experimental research design will be used since the study is more concentrated on internal focused validity. A regression analysis will be carried out to find the correlations between the variables.

2.5: Dissertation Title

Your Dissertation Title should be correctly formed:

Dissertation Title should be aligned with your Research Problem (1.2) and Research Question (2.2), (use the same terminology for all).

The Dissertation Title should reflect the key variables or constructs to be studied.

The Dissertation Title should reflect the method to be employed in the research.

The Dissertation Title should be concise (12 words or less).

The Relationship between Physicians’ Job Dissatisfaction, Professional Burnout and Patients’ Healthcare Outcomes.

3.1 Theoretical Foundations

Briefly describe the primary theoretical basis for the study. Describe the major theory (or theories) that will serve as the lens through which you will view the research problem and research questions and provide any corresponding citations.

Note: The theoretical foundation should be a theory from your discipline that supports your topic. In doing so, certain constructs (explanatory ideas) from that theory would be used to support the research focus.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

This study is based on the job characteristics model theory that states that job satisfaction occur when the characteristics of the workplace encourage motivating tendencies in employees (Demirkol & Nalla, 2018). This theory will be used to draw the hypothesis that physicians working in conditions that encourage good work-life balance and have lower burnout tendencies lead to better patients’ healthcare outcomes since the physicians will be more motivated to carry out their responsibilities (Shanafelt et al., 2019b).

3.2 Contributions to Theory

Describe how your study will contribute to theory in your field by meeting one or more of these four criteria.

The study should generate new theory.

The study should refine or add to an existing theory.

The study should test to confirm or refute a theory.

The study should expand theory by telling us something new about application or processes.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

This study aims at investigating the validity of the theory in the field of physician practice. That is, the hypothesis propagated by the theory will be analyzed through the lens of job dissatisfaction, burnout and patient outcomes.

3.3 Theoretical Implications

Describe the theoretical implications you believe your study could have for your field and your specialization area. This will be the theoretical framework(s) to be used in conceptualizing the study and analyzing the data.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

The results of the study could be used to show that there exists (or there does not exist) a relationship between the variables presented herein.

3.4 Practical Implications

Describe the specific practical implications that may result from this research that can be used by any or all of the following stakeholders: the population being studied, professionals for whom this topic pertains, and/or the wider community itself.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

If it is found out that job dissatisfaction and burnout in physicians lead to poorer patients’ healthcare outcomes, healthcare organizations may take robust steps to improve their physicians’ work-life balances to reduce job dissatisfaction and professional burnout, thereby improving the quality of care to their patients (Miyasaki et al., 2017).

4.1 Research Design

Describe the research design you will use.

Start by specifically stating the type of quantitative research design you will use (non-experimental, quasi-experimental, experimental), include the exact name or type of design to be used, and describe the exact method(s) (archival, survey, observations) you will use to collect the data. Briefly describe how the study will be conducted.

Briefly describe the research philosophy underlying your study and the ontological, epistemological, axiological, and methodological assumptions of your design.

The Research Design should be clearly identified.

The Research Design should be appropriate to the Research Question.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

An experimental research design will be used since the study is more concentrated on internal focused validity. A regression analysis will be carried out to find the correlations between the variables. Quantitative data will be collected in interviews where interviewees will be asked to give scale ratings of their job satisfactions and professional burnout experience. They will also be asked to provide scale ratings of their patients’ outcomes.

4.2 Population and Sample

Describe the characteristics of the larger population from which the sample (study participants) will be drawn. Include specific data/statistics.

State the estimated sample size and your method of determining the sample size needed for the study.

State the sampling strategy (probability or non-probability), the specific method (random, purposive, convenience, et cetera), then describe the sample inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

K-level physicians will be investigated in this research. Purposive sampling will be used to select the sample for the study. The sample size is estimated to be about 300 physicians selected by the researchers. To be included in the sample, a physician must have K-level certification and at least one-year experience working in a healthcare organization. Physicians with under one-year experience will be excluded.

4.3 Ethical Considerations

Describe any ethical considerations given the sample, population, and/or topic.

Please explain as fully as possible. How do you plan to protect human participants while identifying the sample, while collecting the data, while analyzing the data, after data are collected, and during data storage?

Is the proposed population or research topic greater than minimal risk? (Yes or No.)

Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, primary resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources.

Confidentiality of physicians’ personal information collected during the study will be upheld. The research will also be unbiased.