Unit 2

IDENTIFICATION AND PRIORITIZATION OF

RESEARCH PROBLEMS/AREAS
The first step and one of the most
important requirements of the research
process is to delineate the research
study area clearly and state the
problem concisely. This is also one of
the most difficult tasks of the
researcher, especially for the beginners.
Research on any topic should,
ultimately, be directed to bring changes
towards health of the population; it
means addressing one or more
Whether a problem situation requires
research depends on three conditions:
1. There should be a perceived difference
or discrepancy between what exists and
the ideal or planned situation;
2. The reason(s) for this difference should
be unclear (so that it makes sense to
develop research questions); and
3. There should be more than one
possible answer to a question or more
than one solution to the problem.
Factors to consider for deciding the research
problem/question as described by acronym
“FINER”.
Feasible: (possible; viable) the research
area should be feasible in terms of technical,
financial, and administrative capabilities. It
should be able to answer the questions:
Can adequate number of subjects be
available?
Is there adequate expertise to do the work?
Is the research affordable?
Can it be managed well?
Will the administrative support be available?
Interesting: The selected problem
area should be of interest to health
policy managers and researcher.
Novel (new; original): It should be able
to fill the gap in existing knowledge and
/or able to solve the problem in an area.
The aim is not trying to re-invent the
wheel.
Ethical: In applied research, most of
the time human beings are involved
and hence it is necessary to fully
and procedures. Never do a
research which has a deleterious
(harmful) effect on human beings.
Relevant: Selected problem should
be relevant and have priority for
that geographical area, region and
country
The research questions can be placed in
three broad categories, depending on the
type of information sought:
1. Description of the health situation
required for planning interventions:
A researcher needs to know, e.g. the
magnitude and distribution of health needs
in a population as well as of services; the risk
factors for certain problems and people’s
awareness; the utilization patterns and cost-
effectiveness of available and potential
interventions, in order to formulate adequate
policies and adapt or plan interventions.
2. Information required to
evaluate ongoing interventions:
e.g. with respect to:
coverage of priority health needs,
coverage of target group(s),
acceptability and quality, cost-
effectiveness and impact on health,
to assess progress and the need for
adjustment on a routine basis
3. Information required to define
problem in any of the fields
mentioned below and to analyze
possible causes in order to find
solutions: These causes may include
lack or inequitable distribution of
resources, vague policies, and any
environmental factors affecting needs,
interventions and resources (Fig. 2.1).
Criteria for Prioritizing Topics for
Research

Second step in conducting the research is

to prioritize the topics for final research.
Each topic that is proposed for research
has to be judged according to certain
guidelines or criteria. There may be
several ideas to choose before deciding on
a research topic, each proposed topic
must be compared with all other options.
The following guidelines or
criteria may help in this process:
Criteria for Selecting a Research Topic
(Table 2.1)
1. Relevance
2. Avoidance of duplication
3. Urgency of data needed
4. Feasibility of study (timeliness)
5. Applicability of results
6. Ethical acceptability
7. Political acceptability of study
1. Relevance: It depends on the
following: What is the magnitude
(size; greatness; degree) of the
problem? Who is affected? How
severe is the problem? Who
perceives (notices; sees) the
problem? Discuss the problem with
all concerned persons involved and
decide topic.
2. Avoidance of Duplication:
Researcher should make sure that the
suggested topic/question has not been
investigated before, either within the
proposed study area or in another area
with similar conditions. If the topic has
been researched, the results should be
reviewed and analyzed to explore
whether major questions that deserve
further investigation remain
unanswered. If not, another topic should
be chosen.
3. Urgency of Data Needed: Is there any
timeline for the research to be done? Are results
needed for making a decision or developing
interventions at hospital, health center,
community, etc.? Depending on the urgency,
researcher should decide the priority of the topics
to be researched.
4. Feasibility (practicality) of Study: It is
important to find out the feasibility in terms of the
following:
a. Affordability, i.e., whether resources (manpower,
time, equipment and money) are available or not.
b. Geographical, i.e., difficult to reach or remote
areas
c. Administrative and peer support, availability of
5. Applicability of Results: Is it
likely that the recommendations from
the study will be applied? This will
depend not only on the management
capability within the team but also on
the availability of resources for
implementing the recommendations.
Likewise, the opinion of the potential
clients and of responsible staff will
influence the implementation of
recommendations.
6. Ethical acceptability: Following ethical
considerations should be kept in mind:
• Informed consent must be obtained from
the research subjects.
• Cultural sensitivity.
• Will the condition of the subjects be taken
into account? e.g. if individuals are identified
during the study that requires treatment,
will this treatment be given? What if such
treatment interferes with the study results?
• Will the results be shared with those who
are being studied? Will the results be helpful
in improving the lives or health of those
7. Political acceptability of the
study: A research topic that has interest
and support of the local/national
authorities may increase the chances
that the results of the study will be
implemented. Various methods are
available to prioritize the research topic;
however, rating scale and nominal group
technique are important to know:
Rating Scale: The criteria mentioned above
can be measured by the following rating scales
and topic with highest ranking should be
selected for the research.
Relevance
1. = Not relevant
2. = Relevant
3. = Very relevant
Avoidance of Duplication
1. = Sufficient information already available
2. = Some information available but major
issues not covered
3. = No sound information available on which
to base problem-solving
Urgency
1. = Information not urgently needed
2. = Information could be used right away
but a delay of some months would be
acceptable 3. = Data very urgently
needed for decision-making
Feasibility
1. = Study not feasible, considering
available resources
2. = Study feasible, considering available
resources 3. = Study very feasible,
considering available resources
Applicability
1. = No chance of recommendations
being implemented
2. = Some chance of
recommendations being implemented
3. = Good chance of
recommendations being implemented
Ethical Acceptability
1. = Major ethical problems
2. = Minor ethical problems
3. = No ethical problems
Political Acceptability
1. = Topic not acceptable to high
level policy makers
2. = Topic more or less acceptable
3. = Topic fully acceptable

Table 2.1 (Print & distribute to

students)
Nominal Group Technique (NGT)
In order to select research topics, Nominal Group
Technique (NGT) can also be adopted. It is a group
discussion technique. The sequence of the group
discussion is usually as follows:
• Individual expression, followed by ‘voting’, followed
by discussion, and another round of ‘voting’ followed
by discussion, etc.
The steps of the ngt process are summarized
below:
1. Individual listing of ideas on paper.
2. Display of lists produced, followed by discussion.
3. Voting and ranking.
4. Summarizing the results.
5. Discussing the results.
Tips for selecting research
question/topic:
1. Don’t panic — keep things in
perspective
2. Be organized — maximize research
efforts 3. Choose a subject area first
then a topic
4. Make sure the topic is interesting
5. Choose a solvable and manageable
research problem
6. The research problem must be
7. Make research topic original; has not been done
before? If no, select topic.
8. Sharpen the research skills
9. While reading—the following questions should be
asked:
• What is the research question in the study?
• Did the researcher focus on the wrong
group/subjects?
• Did the research leave some group/something
out?
• Is the methodology faulty?
• Were the findings faulty?
• Can the author’s recommendation be pursued
for future research?
• What are the limitations of the study?
End of Unit 2

Thank You
Quiz 2

A team of young researchers from the

Department of Health Science were
assigned to undertake a research on the
health situation in Baidoa. They started
the project and tried their best.
However, after 3 months they realized
that they could not finish the project.
Describe some of the primary issues
that could cause the problem they are
facing.