Research Methods in Health : Investigating Health and Health Services

"The new edition of Research Methods in Health continues to provide an excellent broad based introduction to the subject. New or expanded sections, for example on the evaluation of complex interventions, mixed research methods, life history interviews, and socio-psychological theories make this third edition well worth purchasing. The content is clearly presented and at a suitable level for its intended audience of health professionals and post-graduate students in health and health-related social sciences."
Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK

"Research Methods in Health provides a comprehensive guide to the variety of methods for studying and assessing health and health services. The book not only covers all the topics you need regarding research methods, but also looks into the wider aspects of health and health services. I especially liked the way the book didn’t jump straight into research methods and methodology, but took time to introduce some of the main sociological and psychological concepts and ideas, as well as looking at demography and epidemiology ... Each chapter is introduced in easily understood terms and ends with the main points concisely summarized ... Throughout the book clear examples are very well used to build on our understanding of key concepts and at the end of the book is a very useful glossary of terms."
Conor Hamilton, Student Nurse, Queen's University Belfast, UK

"The additional information in this third edition, for example the coverage of mixed research methods and pertinent social science concepts makes the third edition of this book stand out as a preliminary source of information for anyone looking at research and health ... The summary of main points, key questions and key terms are outstanding and allow the book to be adapted into an essential revision tool as well as adding support and a focal point during reading the book."
Lisa Perraton, Student Nurse, University of Chester, UK

"A very simplified text book of research that guides students through different research designs/methodologies. I think this book must be recommended to every research student."
Moses Murandu, Wolverhampton University, UK

This bestselling book provides an accessible introduction to the theoretical concepts and descriptive and analytic research methods used in research on health and health services. The third edition has been thoroughly revised throughout to include updated references and boxed examples, with additional information on key methodological developments, among them:

• Complex interventions
• Mixed research methods
• Psychometrics
• Secondary data analysis
• Systematic reviews
• Pertinent social science concepts

The research methods described cover the assessment of health needs, morbidity and mortality trends and rates, costing health services, sampling for survey research, cross-sectional and longitudinal survey design, experimental methods and techniques of group assignment, questionnaire design, interviewing techniques, coding and analysis of quantitative data, methods and analysis of qualitative observational studies, and types of unstructured interviewing.

The book is grounded in the author's career as a researcher on health and health service issues, and the valuable experience this has provided in meeting the challenges of research on people and organisations in real life settings.

Research Methods in Health is an essential companion for students and researchers of health and health services, health clinicians and policy-makers with responsibility for applying research findings and judging the soundness of research.

Ann Bowling is Professor of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, UK. She specialises in quality of life measurement, research on ageing and equity of access to health services, and is author of bestselling books on research methods and measurement including Measuring Disease, 2e, Measuring Health, 3e, and A Handbook of Health Research Methods jointly with Professor Shah Ebrahim (all published by Open University Press).