Unit 22
Research Methodology
Task 1, 2, 3 & 4
By Madalena Adao
Student number 1316168
Carl Gray
, (P1)
What are the purpose and the role of research in health and social care? This written report
will be discussing the ethical issues which need to be considered when researching the
health and social care sectors.
What is research?
Research is a planned process in which information is collected systematically for a specific
purpose, analysed, and reported. (Mary et al, 2014 p408)
What are the purposes (why) of research?
Research can have many different purposes such as identifying needs, highlighting gaps in
provision, planning provision, extending knowledge and understanding.
One of the reasons for research is to identify the needs of individuals. The specific needs of
one individual may be different to another individual then it is necessary to carry out a
specific study, or research project, to investigate the benefits to others. There are
organisations, often charities, which are dedicated to improving the care of individuals with
specific diseases and disorders such as HPV, cancers through research. Their research may
focus on better diagnosis so that needs can be identified earlier for example through
screening or to finding a cure.
Another purpose is to plan the provision of services for health and social care such as
hospitals, care homes. Strategic health authorities, primary care trusts (PCTs), and local
authorities, which are responsible for planning health and social care service provision, must
be sure that any decision to invest public money in developing new services is justified.
Their decisions need to be based on information that is accurate, recent, and reliable.
By highlighting gaps in the provision research will encourage and guide to plan the
provision, Healthcare professionals will be able to prepare for future events of research
Also, science and technology research lead to the development of new knowledge and
understanding of materials and the living world. Although some scientific research may
appear quite far removed from health and care needs, health and social care is a very
important area in which scientific knowledge and discovery can be applied. New drugs,
techniques, and equipment (such as MRI scanners) are all products of laboratory-based
science research.
(P2)
According to the dictionary, ethics means moral principles that govern a person's behaviour
or the conducting of an activity. Ethics are written codes and reflect society’s views of what
is right, they are not rules or legislations, but serve to set the boundaries of what is, and is
not, an acceptable way to conduct research. Some guidelines provide a framework for
ethical research that applies to research carried out in the NHS and universities in the UK.
(Mary et al, 2014 p415)
