Final Report

Evidence-Based Research

Joseph Toole

Introduction to Health Services and Research

19 July 2016

The two research studies outlined by Davis, Gross, and Clancy (2012) are participatory research and policy-relevant research. Participatory research is a form of action research where the social researcher works as a full collaborator with the members of the community with the aim of gaining knowledge about something in the community and transforming it. Participatory research is an organizational learning process that is ongoing. Co-learning, participation together with the transformation of the organization is stressed on through this method. The value of participatory research has been emphasized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars program (RWJFCSP). The good thing with participatory research according to the authors is that it will make it possible to answer and address relevant questions affecting the quality of health care in a timely manner (Davis, Gross, & Clancy, 2012). This can be easily achieved through partnering with policy makers or the community members. Through this method, researchers will be able to end up with results that produce short-term change while at the same time causing long-term progress in the health care industry. A major focus of this method is directed towards change. Therefore, this means that the commitment to participate with the community and policy makers is intended to understand and introduce some positive changes with regards to quality care.

Policy-relevant research helps to make research done with regards to quality of care to be policy relevant. This is possible since it directs much attention to the how and why of certain policy change in the health care industry. This enables a researcher to address essential barriers, hence, enabling bridging of the gap that is in existence between research and policy. The other good thin with this method id that it makes it easy to come up with alterations that are in line with the policies created by the policy makers (Sultz & Young, 2011).

According to Wallerstein and colleague in their article titled “Community-Based Participatory Research Contributions to Intervention Research: The Intersection of Science and Practice to Improve Health Equity," argue that participatory research, especially community-based participatory has changed to become a transformative research paradigm, which helps to bridge the gap that is present between science and practice. Through this method, many changes in the health care industry, such as new discoveries have been introduced and practiced as per the requirements of policies introduced by policy makers (Wallerstein & Duran, 2010). This has been achieved through social actions and community engagement with the aim of increasing quality of care and health equity. The community-based participatory research widens the ability of translational science to come up with, put into action, and disseminate interventions that are effective throughout diverse communities so as to bring in the element of quality; redress power imbalance; integrate community theories into the research; promote reciprocal knowledge translation; and enhance mutual benefit among academic partners, policy makers, and community. The authors also identify challenges and barriers when it comes to intervention and implementation science. The article also discusses how community-based intervention can be employed when it comes to addressing the barriers and challenges in place. Being content specific makes community-based participatory research to be helpful in the health care industry. This is because it can easily address the needs of the community with regards to quality health care. Also, illustrative research examples are given. Steps necessary to advance the translational science of community-based intervention is also given by the authors.

Gary and colleagues in the article titles “Policy-relevant research: When does it matter?” looks at policy-relevant theory. According to them, evidence-based medicine is meaningful to policy makers, especially when the research questions are well informed by strategic health policy questions. For policy-relevant research to be appropriately used when it comes to improving the quality of health care, researchers and policy makers stable means and policy for performing such as research. Good research capacity should address all the informed health care delivery policy (Franklin, Wickizer, Fulton-Kehoe, & Turner, 2004). In order to achieve this there should a proper understanding of appropriate use of population-based data (sometimes termed epidemiology), the ability to establish patterns of health care use (also termed as health services research), the capacity to examine outcomes of delivery health services (outcomes research), and the effect on the expenses of the system (health economics). Researchers, policy makers, and communities are becoming aware that there are an array of factors that affect health care. These factors operate on multiple levels together with the whole lifetime of a person. It is well recognized that access to quality health care is very important. Prevention becomes the very important thing. Prevention of various illnesses together with health care promotion needs to tackle a set of factors that are much broader and policies that gives health-related behavior shape in addition to attempting to introduce some changes to biological processes directly related to various diseases. Efforts directed towards detecting and treating diseases very early through enhanced access to quality health care has to be complemented by approached that tackle the root cause of disease. Among the underlying factors that shape conditions are policies.

References

Davis, M. M., Gross, C. P., & Clancy, C. M. (2012). Building a bridge to somewhere better:

Linking health care research and health policy. Health Services Research,47(1pt2), 329–336. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2011.01373.x. (EBSCO AN: 70285300).

Franklin, G. M., Wickizer, T. M., Fulton-Kehoe, D., & Turner, J. A. (2004). Policy-relevant

research: When does it matter?. NeuroRx, 1(3), 356-362.

Sultz, H. A., & Young, K. M. (2011). Health care USA: Understanding its organization and

delivery (7th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN-13: 978-0-7637-8458-4; ISBN-10: 0-7637-8458-3.

Wallerstein, N., & Duran, B. (2010). Community-based participatory research contributions to

intervention research: the intersection of science and practice to improve health equity. American journal of public health, 100(S1), S40-S46.