Definition and Methodology of the Study - Essay Example

?3 Introduction Problems are bound to exist at academic s, workplace or any other situation in life. These could arise as a result of minor incidences or complex, integrated problems which affect the normal course of life. Hence it has become necessary for academicians and managers within an organization to make an attempt to understand the underlying problem and also find suitable possible solutions to alleviate the problem using various investigative methods. Such an investigative approach to solve problems is referred to as research. Many writers and other experts have defined the concept of research in several different ways and from a wide range of viewpoints. One such definition views research as an "organized, systematic, data-based, critical, objective, scientific inquiry or investigation into a specific problem, undertaken with the purpose of finding answers or solutions to it" (Sekaran, 2003). Scientific enquiry or research involves a series of steps that begins with defining the problems through proper investigations using a scientific approach and devise methods to reach a suitable solution. Experts have divided this process of scientific research under eight sub-divisions. The first characteristic is purpose, which implies that every researcher should have a specific purpose for undertaking the research. This is the initial step that would enable the researcher to find suitable answers and methods to solve the problem. The next important requirement is rigor by which researchers need to be attentive and scrupulous during the research process in order to avoid any errors or bias that may affect the end results. The next requirement is testability by which a hypothesis should be subjected to proper testing processes after collection of the required data. Following the testing process the researcher should also ensure that the results obtained are replicable every time the research is conducted under similar conditions as this will ensure that the hypothesis is reproducible. The next requirement for any research is precision and confidence. Precision ensures that the results obtained from the research are relevant to the hypothesis made and the confidence levels reveal the extent to which the results are correct. In addition to the above factors, every researcher should be objective in their research by which any subjective or emotional bias should be eliminated and the study interpretation should be based on the data alone. Another important requirement is generalization of the study by which the study could be applied to any setting. Finally the study should also be simple to perform and understand rather than complex.(Sekaran, 2003). The following chapter begins with the definition of the research problem and then describes the purpose of this study, following which the study objectives are detailed and in turn the study setting is described. The research methodology that includes the sampling methods is explained and the types of data to be used, data collection and analysis are then explored. The contribution of the study is described finally. The method employed in the study is telephonic interview and use of an executive staff questionnaire with the IMC staff members. The IMC has entered into an agreement with the JCI, which has made it the first hospital in Gulf to be involved with the acclaimed organization right from the inception of a project. 3.2 Research problem Following the implementation of the JCI standards within the TQM department, several manufacturing industries have shown marked improvement in quality in different sectors across the country. Given this increase in quality improvement, the service industry, especially the healthcare industry has shown interest in implementing this concept within its purview. The Saudi health sector, both public and private, faces a variety of general challenges such as resource allocation and other challenges related to its nature such as the quality of services provided, cost containment and medical errors. Considering the increased benefits that could be gained by implementing the TQM, several healthcare policy makers in Saudi Arabia have shown a willingness to adopt this approach within their healthcare system in order to improve the performance, quality and services of their organization and also to improve health indicators. Despite the various benefits, the introduction of the JCI standards within the TQM is relatively a newer concept within Saudi Arabia which could face some stiff challenges owing to factors that could have a negative impact on its implementation. Hence the major question that remains to be addressed is the extent to which the JCI accreditation standards will improve the healthcare facilities? 3.3 Study purpose The study purpose is aimed at answering the above question by exploring the implementation of the JCI standards by hospital in Saudi Arabia. 3.4 Study objectives The study objectives included assimilation of evidences observed in Saudi hospitals pertaining to healthcare management in order to aid these institutes to implement a better healthcare service strategy for its customers. Additionally, the study also focused on emphasizing the importance of quality change within an organization as it is not merely associated with implementing a set of standards, rather it could be deemed as a cultural change and all the factors that could affect this change will have to be considered. 3.5 Study setting The Jeddah city, located in the western part of Saudi Arabia was chosen for the study. 3.6 Qualitative and quantitative methodologies(1) The use of qualitative or quantitative method for a particular study entirely depends on the research question and its purpose. In case of some studies both the techniques will have to be employed in order to attain the goal of that research. (McQueen and Knussen, 2002). In case of the quantitative research technique all the parameters covered under the research are converted to numbers, followed by quantifying the problem and then analyzing and discussing the results obtained on a numerical basis. (McQueen and Knussen, 2002). Berg (2007, p. 3), in his article has stated that qualitative research is "the meanings, concepts, definitions, characteristics, metaphors, symbols and descriptions of things". This research technique focuses on the quality of the data garnered from the study or in other words, the qualitative method is "attempting to explore and describe, explain and predict" (McQueen and Knussen, 2002). The technique relies on complete understanding of the research problem. As an example the method of data collection in a particular study need to be done through interviews or observations. This method is being appropriately used for healthcare research. The doctors and other healthcare professionals are required to incorporate research reviews, patient observations, detailed telephonic interviews and executive staff questionnaire. Qualitative research focuses on the development of research methodologies which would facilitate the understanding TQM functionality that deals with emphasizing the meanings, experience and views of all the participants of the study. This would enable researchers to understand the reasons behind healthcare related issues such as why education against the practice of smoking among teenagers and young adults is not effectively followed in their day to day life. These qualitative research studies are more concerned in dealing with queries such as ‘What is TQM and how does JCI standards practices vary under different circumstances, and why?" rather than "How many JCI standards s are there?" (Table 3.1).(2) In the implementation of the JCI standards, a qualitative method of research was chosen in order to identify the various factors that influence the implementation process. Hence as the goal of the study was to indentify the factors rather than measuring their frequency of occurrence or distribution, this method was preferred to the quantitative technique (Hudelson, 2008). This method can be employed to obtain information about various complex settings such as the interaction of patients with their clinicians and also those present among different professional groups within the organization. The results obtained from such studies aid in identifying the value of people playing a specific role within the organization. The method allows the people to speak for themselves and do not impose terms or place them under specific categories during the research process. Through such a process, the people are encouraged to describe the events that they have encountered in their own way by which the researcher gains an understanding as to how the events are interpreted differently by various individuals (Sofaer, 1999). Hence such qualitative processes are useful in the evaluation of healthcare services and also to identify the factors that are associated with the delivery of these services to the patient community (Spencer et al., 2003). The qualitative method is used in this research which analyses the implementation of JCI standards within the TQM of hospital in Saudi Arabia. This method was also chosen owing to the insufficient information available in the implementation of the JCI standards in the healthcare sectors. 3.7 Primary and secondary data The result of any scientific research depends on the data collected which is generally classified into two different types namely primary and secondary data. Primary data is described by Mcnabb (2008) as the initial or new information that is collected. For example, this might include surveys that are conducted using a questionnaire, personal interviews of the concerned individuals, using content analysis or published documents or carrying out an experiment. From the primary data collected, the information is processed and interpreted which is then used to draw suitable conclusions on the study and also to make relevant recommendations if required. In the present study data from telephonic interviews and executive staff questionnaires was collected, analyzed and recorded as documents as excel sheets. Crowther and Lancaster (2008) have analyzed the advantages of using the observational approach for collecting primary data, more particularly in the area of management and organisational research. These observational analyses, unlike those of interviews and surveys, are based on first hand observation of the individuals (Bryma 1989, Delbridge and Kirkpatrick 1994). Another advantage of this technique is that the process can often yield new data and research findings which are impossible to obtain by any other method. In other words, observational research can be useful in identifying smaller or hidden issues within an organization as it is easier to shift one’s observation to even a small distracting behavior which is interesting (Grazizno and Rawlin 2004). This form of research techniques allows for greater generation of detailed information compared to collecting primary or secondary data using surveys and questionnaires (Robson, 2002). Finally, observational research is particularly well suited to carry out research within one’s own organization as in the case of a consultancy type student research project (Saunders etc al, 2003). Despite these many advantages, the technique also faces some disadvantages and limitations with regard to primary data collection as the time taken is long as is the cost required for the collection process. Additionally it is also difficult to get the doctors and other heads of the department, the managers and directors in the TQM department to offer their cooperation for answering the questionnaires or even telephonic interviews. And the researcher should also be careful in choosing the right tools and methods for the analysis. In these processes the researcher is bound to have a lesser degree of control over the data collection method. As the research is entirely dependent on the willingness of the respondents, there is a greater chance for the quality or scope of the information to be weaker in such processes. There could be several reason associated with an individual’s refusal or unwillingness to cooperate in the research such as lack of time or suitable rewards for their participation (Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2004). (3) According to Mcnabb (2008), secondary data collection involves obtaining information related to the study from secondary sources such as those in published books or journals. This method has been used in the literature review section to detail the previous study results. The University of Hertfordshire’s library databases, e-journals, EBSCO, Google search engine, e-book, text book, and IMC's documents were used to obtain the secondary information data. One, however, should be cautious while using published information as a lot of care is required for using the material in a report. (4) Secondary data collection also has several advantages like that of the primary collection methods. Boslaugh (2007) has stated that one of the major advantages of secondary data is the cost effectiveness of the method as only a previously collected data is being reproduced and hence the researcher does not have to spend time or money on the data collection aspect of the research. Even purchasing secondary data would be cost effective compared to the cost involved for collecting a primary data set from individuals. In addition, time saving is also an important component of secondary data collection. As these data have been previously collected and stored in electronic format, the researchers on collecting specific requirements for the study instead of spending their working hours on framing a hypothesis and writing proposals for grants to carry out the research data collection and entry and supervising those involved in the project. Another advantage of secondary data collection is the large data that would be available for a given study. Though data conducted by individual researchers from a sample of the population would be relatively less as it would not be possible for them to repeat the study every year or during every relevant period, the federal government however, conducts several surveys and collects data on specific issues regularly. The data collected on issues pertaining to the health related problems within a population are subjected to changes that include the health status and the health behavior of the population. When such new data are collected annually or at regular intervals, it provides new insights to the researcher on the health status of the population over a period of time. The process of secondary data collection would, in some cases, involve the participation of experts and other related professionals that would not be possible while conducting small scale research projects by individuals. For example, the federal health surveys included in this volume have used a complex sample design and weighting system which has in turn aided in the computation of the population on the basis of their health conditions and behaviors. Even though a small research project could possibly use similar techniques, it is always convenient to use samples that have been generalized among the specific population. (5) However, collection of secondary data does suffer from some disadvantage and limitations as some the data might not pertain to the specific research question under study or certain necessary details may not be available in the secondary data collected in the previous studies. In other cases the study might have not been conducted within a required geographic region or population of interest or during the years that might have been needed. In any case, can only work with data that exist, not what it wish had been collected. A related problem is that variables may have been defined or categorized differently than it would have been chosen: for instance, a data set may have been defined as only White/Other. A third difficulty is that data may have been collected but are not available to the secondary researcher: for instance, address and phone number information for survey respondents may have been recorded by the original research team but will not be released to secondary researchers for confidentiality reasons, a secondary data set should be examined carefully to confirm that it includes the necessary data, that the data are defined and coded in a manner that allowed to access the data required.(6) According to Wernn et al (2007), accuracy of data collection is another major disadvantage of the secondary method. The initial problem lies with the source of the secondary data as to whether ti has been obtained from a primary or secondary source. The secondary data, if collected from a secondary source should be largely avoided. The next issue is about he organization or agency that collected the data and the quality of the methodology followed by them, the data collection design and the credibility of the resources. The third issue is regarding the age of the data, as recent information garnered could be more useful compared to age old information whose usability to a present situation is often questionable. Another disadvantage associated with secondary data is the quality of the information gathered is often unknown as the reputation and the capacity of the agency or institute that had collected the information is vital while assessing the quality of the information collected. Additionally, if the collected data needs verification, the quality of information which includes details about the sampling plan, data collection method, the field procedures used, the training provided to the staff prior to data collection, the degree of non-responsiveness to the collection process and other possible sources of errors becomes a very vital requirement (7). In the present research, however, telephonic interviews and executive staff questionnaires were used as a secondary data source. The information regarding the JCI and its effect on the Saudi culture has not been dealt with in many prior studies. In such cases the accuracy of the secondary data source can also be a problem as the study deals with the stability of implementation of the JCI standards in hospital settings, which is a relatively new area of study. It is therefore necessary to evaluate the secondary data source along with other accredited data. Another problem with the study is the inability to obtain information by direct interviews with people at KSA as the complexity of the data collection process is usually costly and time-consuming owing to the size of the sample (Bowling, 1997). However, the present study has managed to access the most current information about the JCI accreditation standards and its implementation in the quality management of healthcare facilities such as the KSA. The design of the questionnaire also needs to be included, if required. As far as I have paraphrased the literature review and methodology papers, I have also not come across data validity and reliability information and also the limitations of the study. How was the data collected analyzed, manually or via compter. Any problems associated with the methodology or data collection process can also be included in the study as asked below. 3.8 Sampling Techniques Jackson (2010), also raised another concern about the use of the questionnaires in the data collection process regarding the source of participants. In order to conduct a meaningful survey, the individuals enrolled for collecting information should represent the population under study. In other words, the participants should be a subset of the population on whom the study is to be generalized. There are two categories under which the sampling process is classified: probability and non probability sampling methods. In the probability sampling method, every member of the given population will have an equal opportunity of being part of the sample selected for the study. In the present study this method of sampling is more applicable than non probability method, which is used in cases when every member within a population do not have a chance of being selected for the study. The research samples included doctors, directors, head officers and manager (8). 3.9 Study contribution The study is mainly aimed at the healthcare sector by aiding their policy-makers, management and other healthcare professionals in effectively implementing the JCI standards within the TQM department. 3.12 Conclusion In conclusion, this chapter has dealt with the methodology that has been followed for the entire study. Following the definition of a research problem, the purpose of the study was outlined in this chapter. The objectives of the study and also the study setting were also explained. The types of research methodologies and the data types were then explored in detail, following which the sampling techniques and data collection and analysis process and the contribution of the study were then outlined. Read More