This course covers conceptual and methodological issues relevant to health services research (HSR). Topics covered include principles of HSR and epidemiological methods, methodological issues in defining study populations using secondary data sources in HSR, quality measures in HSR, methodological consideration in evaluating relationships between measures, comparative effectiveness research in HSR, implementation science and quality improvement evaluation in HSR, analytic approaches and methodological issues addressing measured and unmeasured confounding in HSR, and analytic approaches in evaluating longitudinal health data in HSR.

Objectives: 1) To provide students with an understanding of the design and conduct of a range of experimental and non-experimental quantitative research designs applied to HSR. 2) To further develop an understanding of research methodologies, introducing more complex forms of study design and higher-level methods applicable to HSR.

By the end of the course: students will possess a sound understanding of the fundamental principles and methodological aspects of the conduct and critical appraisal of HSR that can support them in assessing the quality of existing studies, developing their own research proposals, and ultimately conducting more rigorous research.