The figure below shows nine possible research questions. Other questions might be proposed, though they are likely to be categorised as sub-questions of these ones.
The questions can be divided into three general research categories: subjective, objective, and controlled:
- Subjective research: Soliciting user opinions or experiences, e.g. through surveys, focus groups, interviews. Users may include HealthPathways clinicians, managers, and health care consumers.
- Objective research: Measuring data points, e.g. times, rates, outcomes, page views, pathway go-lives. These may also be compared over time or across different systems.
- Controlled research: Comparing measurements over time or across different systems and attributing changes to specific interventions or changes, having controlled for other factors.
Some of this research is easy to carry out, such as creating user surveys or reviewing Google Analytics. While subjective information, such as how well users like HealthPathways, can be essential to your evaluation, it doesn't provide definitive answers about the success of your local implementation or whether it's having an impact on health outcomes.
Controlled research into clinical or process outcomes can answer these questions, but is harder to carry out, as shown below.
