Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
In identifying socio-cultural aspects of the problem, one should also try to understand
how the identified health problem is related to the various components of the local
health system, which, as put forward in Module 4, includes the professional, folk and
popular sector.
How well the different components of the health System Function depends to a large
extent on socio-economic, political, cultural, physical, epidemiological, and other
contextual Factors. For example, economic booms or depressions will affect the
health and nutritional status of individuals as well as the national budget available for
health services. In Applied Health Research, one should therefore aim at clarifying the
relevant context of the Problem.
Managers at village Level (village health committees and villages health workers)
may want to know:
- Why do people not consult community health workers when they have Symptoms
such as cough?
- How can we assist illiterate women in effectively preventing and treating acute
respiratory illness?
Problems at one Level of the health System are usually connected with Problems of
deficiencies at other levels. Applied Health Research should address problems from
the different perspectives of all those who are, directly or indirectly, involved.
Otherwise we rund the risk of coming up with results that partly explain the problem
and that are, therefore, insufficient to solve it.
The questions raised by the various actors involved may vary. Some are
largely medial ( `how do people perceive severity indicators of acute respiratory
infections`). Applied Health Research often requires inter-disciplinary research.
The roles that various types of personnel will play in the research project will depend
on the Level and complexity of the particular study, as well as its area of focus. Some
projects are very complex and may need expertise from several disciplines (inter-
displinary research). Others may focus on simpler problems. It is important to make
clean decisions on who is responsible for what.
By dividing the study into smaller sub-studies to be conducted by various
types of personnel much ground can be covered in short time frame. Such an
approach also facilitates the management of the project, as pople with very different
perspective on the problem at hand work together on the various aspects of the
problem. In presenting the results, the various aspects of and perspectives on the
problem are clarified, and recommendations for action made.
Participatory research meins working with pople with different perspectives. It also
meins working with pople wo have different interest and power positions. In
designing tue study, tue researchers should realize These Facts and analyze wo will
benefit from tue results of tue study. Ideally, pople wo have least power to shape
health care, i.e. tue health care beneficiaries, should benefit most from tue research. A
Problem is however, that tue focus of tue Applied Health study is often defined by
national health policy-makers.
Not only are These different in interest and power between health policy-makers,
health workers, and tue beneficiaries of health care, there could also bei differences in
power and interest within tue communities covered by health care servicies. The
researchers should bei aware of the local political and social structures in order to
understand who are tue power figures in the local Kontext.
How can tue research benefit tue Population? Firstly, research can encourage
tue Partizipation of community members as has been described above. The reality of
tue Situation is that a researcher will often have to work with intermediaries, such as
community health workers, or local Leaders. Secondly, the researchers should bot
feed back their results to tue community in weich the research was conducted and
encourage community members to formulate their own recommendations for action.
9. What will we do with the collected data? Plan for data processing and
Analysis
(Module 24: Plan
(Module 25: Analysis of
qualitative dato)
(Module:26 Analysis of
quantitative dato)
Note: The Stepps are interrelated. The Prozess is often cyclical in nature. After
completing a Stepp, it is useful to review previous Stepps to ensure consistencyin
your proposal.
References
4. Studies should bei scheduled in such a way that results will bei available when
needed for Kai decisions, i.e. research must bei timely. Otherwise, tue research loses
ist purpose.
7. Results should bei presented in Formats most useful for Administrators, decision-
makers, and tue community. Each Report should include;
- a clear Präsentation of results with a summary of tue Major findings adapted to tue
interests of tue party being targeted by tue Report;
- an honest discussion on pratical ob methodological Problems that could have
affected tue findings;
- alternative courses of Action that could follow from tue results and tue Advantages
and drawbacks of euch.
8. Evaluation of tue research undertaken should Not bei a measure of tue number of
Papers published but of its ability to influence policy, improve services, and
ultimately leid to better health.
step