Health services research & development strategy discussion paper
Department of Public Health
Synopsis
Health Services Research means research into the delivery of health care and involves the investigation
of the health needs of the population and the effectiveness and the efficiency of the provision of
services to meet those needs. The more commonly used term is Health Services Research and
Development (R&D).
Much of its work is applied and multi-disciplinary, requiring researchers not only with medical and
paramedical backgrounds, but also with experience in social and behavioural sciences (sociology,
anthropology, economics, geography, social psychology, etc), organisational and management science,
statistics and epidemiology.
The increasing expense of delivering health care and the increased accountability of health care
providers, has made it necessary to ensure that services provided are the most appropriate to meet the
population's need and to guarantee that they are delivered in the least wasteful way possible.
Creating a research-based healthcare system is an important way of creating a strong and efficient
health sector.
A strategic approach should be adopted with suitable National and Regional Structures to ensure that
the health services R&D function is as effective as possible.
At national level, a dedicated agency should be given responsibility for selection of research projects
and funding of those projects. The Health Research Board is likely to be the most suitable location for
this function. Funding for health services R&D should be earmarked to remove competition with
biomedical research.
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