First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 2001. This is the first book to combine research methods from a range of social science disciplines and apply them to health service research. Health service delivery and organisation is a growing and increasingly important area of research not readily amenable to methods used to evaluate health technologies.

Research into the delivery and organisation of health care is a vital component in the improvement of health services. A wide range of disciplines and methods needs to be deployed to address research questions in this field. This unique reader brings together thirty examples of high-quality SDO research using a range of disciplines, including organisational studies, epidemiology, sociology, history, health economics, anthropology and policy studies, illustrating the use of qualitative and quantitative approaches and primary and secondary research. Expert editorial commentary on each section highlights different themes and methodological issues. The reader covers six main areas of research: Organising services around the user User involvement in organising services Workforce issues Evaluating models of service delivery Quality management and the management of change Studying health care organisations. This book is a companion volume to Studying the Organisation and Delivery of Health Services: Research Methods also published by Routledge (2001). It makes top-quality, empirical and secondary research readily accessible to health service managers and health care professionals who are interested in research, to health service researchers and to undergraduate and postgraduate students following courses in health and health management studies.

Research into the delivery and organisation of health care is a vital component in the improvement of health services. This unique reader brings together thirty examples of high-quality SDO research, from a range of disciplines, to illustrate the use of qualitative and quantitative approaches, and primary and secondary research.

Publisher description

This book introduces research methods from a wide range of disciplines and applies them to research on the organisation and delivery of health services.

The anthrax incidents following the 9/11 terrorist attacks put the spotlight on the nation's public health agencies, placing it under an unprecedented scrutiny that added new dimensions to the complex issues considered in this report. The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century reaffirms the vision of Healthy People 2010, and outlines a systems approach to assuring the nation's health in practice, research, and policy. This approach focuses on joining the unique resources and perspectives of diverse sectors and entities and challenges these groups to work in a concerted, strategic way to promote and protect the public's health. Focusing on diverse partnerships as the framework for public health, the book discusses: The need for a shift from an individual to a population-based approach in practice, research, policy, and community engagement. The status of the governmental public health infrastructure and what needs to be improved, including its interface with the health care delivery system. The roles nongovernment actors, such as academia, business, local communities and the media can play in creating a healthy nation. Providing an accessible analysis, this book will be important to public health policy-makers and practitioners, business and community leaders, health advocates, educators and journalists.