What are the 4 reasons why research is carried out in health and social care?
- To Improving outcomes for people using services.
- To inform policy and practice
- To extend knowledge and understanding
- To identify weaknesses or gaps in provision
What is research?
An investigation or procedure that aims to find out new knowledge that could lead to changes to health treatments, policies or care
What are the benefits of research?
Research helps to form policy that leads to improved outcomes for people who use services
Tell me the 8 different types of health and social care provision:
- Hospitals
- Residential care
- Domiciliary care
- Nursing homes
- Health centres
- GP surgeries
- Occupational health environment
- Children’s centre
3 examples of research that have improved practice and policy
- Use of antiseptic gel by all clinical staff and visitors - reduces risk of infection
- Hospital doctors do not wear white coats or ties to reduce risk of spreading infection
- There are provisions of intermediate care to help individuals who have been hospitalised for a long time, regain their confidence to be able to live independently in their own homes
Define VALIDITY
This is whether a test or study actually measures what it aims to measure
Define RELIABILITY
This is whether the results can be reproduced under the same conditions
What sources should I use for referencing?
- books
- official documents
How should you explain question 1 (research methods used in the article)
- give examples to support explanations
- explain why the methodologies used are/aren’t useful
How should you answer question 2
- consider how the issue affects individuals and the wider society
- USE SECONDARY research to support the points made
- give reasons why research is important in social care practice
How would you answer question 3
- explain my reasons for using different research methodology in future research
- make judgements on the importance of ethics, planning practical problems in relation to future research in this area
- justify the points I make in as much detail as possible
What are the 6 contemporary health and social care issues?
- high levels of obesity
- demand for social care services
- antimicrobial resits (AMR)
- rising rate of mental health issues
- increasing numbers of elderly in the population
- disease prevention vs treatment of disease
What does double blind clinical trial mean?
When neither the patients nor the researches/doctors do not know which group have the fake drug or the real drug
What is a placebo?
A medical prescription which looks like the real drug being tested but does not contain medical active ingredients
What are some implications of lifestyle choices and strategies for migrating service provision?
- Health education programmes in schools and community centres e.g. a 5 A DAY programme to stay healthy
- Taxation limit e.g. taxing alcohol like the sugar tax this helped to prevent obesity and taxing alcohol will reduce harm and promote public health
- Legislation e.g. banning smoking indoors which promotes less smoking and lung function
Give me 8 health and social care provisions? ( settings )
- Emergency services
- Gp surgeries
- Nursing homes
- Residential care
- Health centres
- Children centres
- Disability services
- Hospitals
What is improving outcomes for people using services?
This is meeting outcomes aligned with both the service users own and clinical expectations. This helps to improve well-being and quality of care for service users. For example, learning boards being created to understand the risk factors of conditions depending on the service user.
What does informing policy and practice mean?
This is using research findings to influence practices in the healthcare organisations. This ensures that evidence-based information is used to improve the quality of care provided to service users and communities. E.g. research on the effectiveness of a vaccine to prevent the spread of infection which can help inform public health policies on controlling outbreaks.
What does extending knowledge and understanding mean?
This involves expanding existing knowledge and gaining deeper understanding into different H&S issues. This includes conducting studies, analysing data and making conclusions to understand. For example, a research project investigating the long-term effects for a specific medication on patients with specific conditions which can help extend knowledge on the medications efficacy and side effects.
What does identifying gaps in provision mean?
This is recognising areas where services are lacking and highlighting areas of improvement for development. For example, looking into the lack of health services for people suffering with mental health issues which can help for this to be addressed and improve mental health outcomes.
