Action Research: a valuable research technique for service delivery development

Abstract

The evaluation of healthcare practice and service delivery is fraught with difficulties. Service development and/or delivery occurs within socially dynamic settings which are in a continual state of change. Service development also often involves large elements of improvisation. The action research approach is useful for health service research, as it supports collaboration between researchers and practitioners, and not only allows but makes explicit that the action researcher has both roles within the setting being studied. This paper discusses action research methodology and offers insight into principles that favor its use for service delivery development. This includes consideration of the interactive variables within studies of health care systems and the importance of evaluating relationships between stakeholders to understand how these factors or variables, which cannot be controlled for, are responsible for successful development of the service. Action research facilitates change and helps bridge the theory-practice gap. With the current dynamic changes within both the pharmacy profession and national health services, researchers may find the action research technique of value when considering new roles and innovative ways of engaging in collaborative, multi-disciplinary working to improve delivery of patient care.

Convergence of tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus: time to individualise pharmaceutical care

“…The physician changed the prescription to gliclazide 40 mg bd and patient's problem was resolved TB tuberculosis, DM diabetes mellitus play the dual role of being a researcher and a practitioner [24]. This allows the researcher to become an insider and understand the system better [24].…”

“…This allows the researcher to become an insider and understand the system better [24]. The drawback of the study was some of the identified pharmaceutical care needs could not be addressed when the researcher provided the service.…”

“…These findings facilitated the design of this feasibility study. Action research [22,23] methodology was used as it provides the flexibility needed in research that aimed to bring change [24] and it has been used within pharmaceutical care research [25,26].…”

Development of the specialist menopause pharmacist (SMP) role within a research framework

“…2. Working as an action researcher [19][20][21] , and using reflective practice to devise the potential remit for the SMP post if established on a full time basis 3. Implementation of a confidential questionnaire survey 22 undertaken within the local health authority to obtain general practitioner, practice nurse and community pharmacist views on areas they would utilise the SMP 23 .…”

“…Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to complement data collection, the SMP role was examined in depth. Action Research 19,20 , a qualitative research technique with a focus on 'fact finding' 21,24 , enabled the investigation of what the role could comprise and to generate the hypothesis that the specialist pharmacist, working within the secondary care setting, can perform a useful function. Triangulation 25 of methodology, using quantitative and qualitative study methods, enabled further validation and reliability assessment.…”