Unit Number and Title: Unit 18: Innovation and Improvement through Action Research
Assignment Title: Improving the health of others through effective research
Unit Learning Outcomes:
- Review the role of research in strategies to improve health and wellbeing
- Develop a methodological framework for action research into health and wellbeing improvement
- Carry out action research towards improvements in health and wellbeing
- Examine the impact of research findings with regard to service improvement. And own professional development
There are two parts to this assignment which you will need to complete
Part 1 Presentation Scenario
A key responsibility of the Healthcare Practitioner is to contribute to the health, safety and safeguarding of all service users in their care. But what does this mean? In an ever-changing, increasingly complex health and social care environment, our understanding of the role, duties and responsibilities of the practitioner in protecting service users continues to evolve. One thing we are sure of is that evidence-based strategies to health, safety and safeguarding contribute significantly to improving the health and wellbeing outcomes for service users, their families and practitioners alike. The implications of ineffective, inefficient, poorly-researched or out-of-date approaches to protection can be very serious not only affecting the experience, health and wellbeing, and outcomes of service users and their families, but also practitioners own wellbeing and safety, professional opportunities and career.
To be effective in their role, it is crucial that the healthcare practitioner actively recognises this and embeds a continuous enquiry-based approach to their work in protecting service users; including respecting and upholding service users agency, views and rights in this regard. This is not only to be responsive to changes in legislation, policy and guidance but also to take an active role in their own personal and professional growth and development, and to support the continuous improvement of the services they provide.
Activity
Prepare a discussion and present the research study and findings to an audience for 10 minutes
Your presentation should include:
- The research title, questions and reasons for research
- Key literature found
- Participants and methods used for data collection
- Methods used for data analysis
- Key findings and how they relate to current literature
- The impact of findings on health and wellbeing improvement locally and globally.
Critically evaluate and how effectively research methodologies selected support proposed action research study in health and wellbeing improvement.
Critically, interpret research findings using appropriate data analysis techniques.
Critically evaluate discuss the impact of your research study in terms of influencing change and its value in improving quality of health and social care service provision nationally and globally.
Part two: Report
Theme:Health, Safety and Safeguarding through the Lifespan
- In the context of the health, safety and safeguarding of service users and others, the healthcare practitioner should be rigorous and critical in their approach, be willing to challenge and question themselves and others towards informing and improving practices in their work. This developmental approach is most effective when underpinned by evidence and the healthcare practitioner should utilise the principles and practice of research in their day-to-day practice in the protection of service users.
Activity:Produce a report that reflects on your research journey and the implications of your research on your own practice and that of your organisation.
Your report should introduce the research question you intend to have answered, based on the theme and topic area provided, together with your rationale for choosing this question and the additional questions you want to ask to answer the overarching research question. When choosing your research question, focus on something that interests you and that you can research in your own area of practice, based on the theme and topic allocated to you.
- It should discuss the literature found in the field that justifies the research focus and questions, together with any adaptations you have made to your research questions from your literature review search. You should justify your literature in terms of validity and reliability using appropriate methods and critically evaluate the information.
- Your report should also include an of the skills you possess and need to acquire in order to carry out a piece of action research. You could include an appendix which details ways you will acquire the skills needed.
- You now need to develop a methodological framework that details the methods chosen to gather data in order to answer research questions.
- You now move on to the next stage in developing your research study, where you need to develop a project proposal outlining your proposed research study. You should then use this proposal to guide your research study in gathering and analysing data.
- For this activity your report should include two headings, procedure, and data analysis. Your methodology should include details of the methods used and you should also include copies of your chosen data collection tools (questionnaires, interview schedules) in an appendix. You should continue to describe your procedure, discussing how you gathered the data, any issues you encountered and how you overcame these barriers. You should provide a justification of the usefulness of methods the value of triangulation.
- Your data analysis section should include a justification of data analysis tools used and you must illustrate your findings using appropriate techniques (pie charts, thematic analysis).
- You should provide a conclusion to your research study that considers the impact of your research journey on your own professional development. It should also consider the impact on health and wellbeing locally and from a global perspective in supporting improvements in public health. You should assess the way that research has developed the way you look at practice and your role in contributing to improving public health. You should also develop SMART targets that can be included in your personal development plan (PDP).
Critically evaluate and review how effectively research methodologies selected support proposed action research study in health and wellbeing improvement.
Critically, analyse and interpret research findings using appropriate data analysis techniques.
Critically evaluate and discuss the impact of your research study in terms of influencing change and its value in improving quality of health and social care service provision nationally and globally