This week, you will complete, assemble, and submit your Signature Assignment, a research report that presents your research in a professional manner. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your competency in putting together a research report. The ability to conduct and disseminate quantitative studies is an essential skill set for today’s healthcare professional.
To do this, you will complete two major tasks:
Task 1:
First, you will work on developing the introduction and discussion sections for the research question (related to provider training and patient satisfaction) you addressed throughout the course.
Second, you will integrate the introduction and discussion sections with the method and result sections to form a complete research report.
Remember, this task is part of the Signature Assignment for this course. As always, be diligent and take time to develop a coherent and well-organized paper.
Additional Guidance: Writing the Introduction and Discussion Sections of a Quantitative Research Paper
In addition to being responsible for the strategic and operational decisions in healthcare facilities and organizations, healthcare administrators and managers are also in a unique position to document and share advances in the health services field. The bulk of this communication is done in peer-reviewed formats and channels. To ensure you develop the requisite knowledge and knowhow to carry on with this important tradition, you will also learn how to successfully write these two other important sections of a health services research paper: Introduction and Discussion.
For the Introduction section, you will develop competency for establishing a research territory, establishing a research niche, and clearly making a purpose statement for a health services research paper. For the Discussion section, you will develop competency for recapping important findings in a research paper, positioning the findings of a research paper in relation to other related research in the literature, communicating study limitations and strengths, and providing a recommended course of action or considerations for future research. These objectives will be attained by completing readings and assignments that elicit understanding.
As a leader in the healthcare services arena and a steward of good healthcare practices, your contribution to scientific engagements will be required from time to time. Often, this engagement can include writing research papers that will be published in peer-reviewed journals or submitted as a technical report for healthcare services–related organizations, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). In other situations, you may be required to review the scientific work of seasoned professionals to allow you or the committee you serve on to make informed professional decisions. In either situation, your ability to critique and write strong introductions and discussion sections in a healthcare services research paper will be invaluable. This is your goal for this week!
In writing an introduction section, there are specific requirements that you must meet to ensure that you have a solid narrative. At a minimum, three requirements are paramount.
· First, you will demonstrate the importance of the problem you are studying. If your research is focused on healthcare outcomes, for example, you may need to highlight how big of a problem the issue you are studying is. This grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to continue reading the paper. One way of demonstrating a problem is by sharing statistics in terms of the number of those infected (in the case of infections) or the number of those who died as a result of a health outcome (mortality studies). Another way to demonstrate a problem is by stating the cost associated with the health outcome being studied.
· Second, you will be required to demonstrate a research niche by identifying a gap that your research is going to fill. Typically, you can source this information by reviewing the literature to identify areas yet to be studied.
· And third, you will state clearly the objective of the study.
There are also key elements that need to be present for you to develop a solid discussion section.
· In the beginning, you will typically recap salient findings of the study before following up with discussing these findings in relation to the results of previous research.
· Next, you will discuss study implications as it relates to healthcare services policy or practice.
· Then, you discuss the limitations and strengths of the study. Writing this section diligently ensures an objective and transparent effort in reporting scientific work.
· And finally, you will demonstrate research areas that need further exploration.
Task 2:
After completing Task 1, you will assemble and submit a quantitative research report based on the data (Table 2) you were provided earlier in the course. Your final report should include all the major elements of a peer-reviewed manuscript: Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion (IMRD). To complete these sections (IMRD), use an improved version of your Week 6 along with the Introduction and Discussion sections written this week. Your improved version should reflect the feedback you received from your instructor. When using these previous assignment submissions, make sure they flow properly into the manuscript. To ensure each section (IMRD) contains the basic elements of a peer-reviewed publication, make sure you read and apply the guide provided in the APA Publication Manual provided in this week’s resource.
Length: 8-12 pages, not including title and reference pages
Resources: Include a minimum of 12 scholarly resources.
