The Behaviors of Physicians - Research Proposal Example

Research into Prescribing Behaviors of Physicians Affiliation with more information about affiliation, research grants, conflict of interest and how to contact Research into Prescribing Behaviors of Physicians Introduction: People usually do research in order to obtain information that will enable them to draw suitable conclusions about any specific topic of their interest. Prescribing behaviors of physicians have always remained a topic of interest to me. Therefore, I would like to do a research on this area which I find intriguing. Problem Statement: Physician’s prescribing behaviors is an area that is not well researched. Therefore, the primary aim of my research will be to investigate the prescribing behavior of physicians and to determine the factors that influence the same. Research Question and Importance of Research: The primary research question in this context is “What are the prescribing behavior of physicians and can this behavior be induced or controlled by external forces?” As a pharmaceutical representative my job involves persuading physician to prescribe the products of my company where these are medically appropriate. Therefore, a research into the said topic is of great significance, not only to my career but will also be in the interest of sales promotion for my company. In order to achieve this, I will analyze sales data and observe physicians prescribing behaviors to determine what is effective in influencing physicians to prescribe the drugs that my company manufactures. This particular area of research is important to my career as well as my employer because my job is to ethically influence the decision maker. Research Objectives: Research in this area may determine other methods to effectively promote the sales of my company’s product. In addition, it will also help me to understand and whether doing my job according to company protocol is actually fetching the desired results. Besides, scholars may find this research useful because it will provide ample insight into the aspects of human behavior and the influences that make them take decisions to prescribe, whether ethically medically appropriate. Fortunately, my professional background will facilitate abundant support in conducting this research. Primarily, the support factor derives in terms of direct access to physicians within my territory from whom I can generate the data for analysis. Working as a pharmaceutical representative for the past six years, I have gained enough insight and expertise within this particular field. I am comfortable with my contacts and quite familiar with the field of study. In addition, I also can obtain relevant information from other colleagues within this industry that I could use for getting deeper insight into the topic under investigation. Preliminary Review: The primary question in terms of qualitative research will be “What are the factors that influence a physician’s prescribing behavior?” The pros of conducting qualitative research are that it allows a platform for more in depth and detailed study. Besides, it is typically less expensive than other methods and offers flexibility as far as locations and timing are concerned. Moreover, it facilitates information through a smaller population. As far as cons are concerned, qualitative data does not quantify the number of positive or negative response from the sample population to generalize and form a finding for a broader audience or the public in general. For this particular question, another advantage is that the physician can openly answer without being biased one way or another. Besides, it will be easy for me to conduct this research because I have free access to and cordial relationship with the sample population who are physicians. In addition, my panel of 180 physicians in my territory is more than reasonable population size to collect data from. This data can be collected in forms which may include interviews and group discussions, observations, and reflection field notes. A possible quantitative research question to examine a physician’s prescribing behavior needs to extract data based on which one can quantify and determine factors relating to the research topic. In this context, with many products in each class, an ideal question will be: “Whether your decisions are induced by external forces and what percent of your prescribing is based upon outside influences?” The pros of conducting qualitative research are that data can be collected and analyzed fairly quickly. When a survey involves statistically valid random samples, the results can be generalized to the entire population if the response rate is high enough. Besides, such surveys can provide reliable directions and information remains anonymous. However, the generalized findings can also be beyond the participant group. So far it relates to the disadvantages, quantitative research has only a limited ability to evoke answers. People who are willing to respond may share characteristics that do not apply to the audience as a whole which may create potential bias. Besides, obtaining data through quantitative research may prove to be expensive. This data could be collected in survey form. A possible mixed method research question to investigate into the aspect of physician’s prescribing behavior needs to evoke information on the relationship between physicians and the percentage of influences of outside sources that affect their prescribing behaviors. The pros of conducting mixed method research are that it incorporates the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thus, it becomes capable of providing a more comprehensive view, and it does not limit the data being collected. The main disadvantage of mixed method research is that it calls for expertise in both methods apart from the fact that it necessitates extensive data collection and use of resources. The data could be collected through open-ended interviews asking the sample population questions that are designed to elicit information regarding what influences them when prescribing. The results can be quantified by counting the number of times each type of response occurs (quantitative data analysis).Subsequently, the responses could be reported as percentages that examine the relationships between the sets of categories or variables through the use of contingency tables. One theory that might provide a good basis for research in the area of prescribing behaviors amongst physicians will be the theory of decision. This theory is concerned with identifying the values, uncertainties, and other issues that are relevant to a given situation. The theory of decision is founded on the concept of recognizing the best decision to take, assuming that an ideal decision maker is fully informed and able to compute with perfect accuracy and rationality all the relevant aspects and then take a decision which is most appropriate in a given situation. This theory will relate to the thought process a physician goes through when making the decision of which pharmaceutical product to prescribe in a given situation. The theory of decisions gives a clear scope for this research as it defines the parameters that can be inquired into while conducting the actual research. Conclusion: The main focus needs to be on the aspects or factors that a physician considers while prescribing a medicine to a patient. Information relating to this can be obtained by designing suitable questions. Thus, this research will be capable of eliciting relevant information which will be useful to me, my company as well as academics who retain an interest in this topic. Read More