MHA 614 Policy Formation & Leadership in Health Organizations Healthcare Research
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Research has a broad definition and often has completely different meanings depending on the group involved. According to Merriam-Webster, research is the careful and diligent search of a specific topic; it involves the collecting of information about a particular subject ("Research - Definition from the

Merriam-Webster Dictionary", n.d., p. 1). On a broad level, all researchers seek to further understand a specific subject-matter. However, the approach to research varies greatly throughout each community. Some researchers use evidence-based data, analyzing and drawing conclusions while others generate their own data through experimentation or mathematical theory. On a masters level, research is often based on statistical data used to validate a point the author is trying to express. One such example is the graph on page 31 of Harrington’s “Health Policy: Crisis and Reform in the U.S. Health Care Delivery System,” here the author provides an excerpt wherein the writer is attempting to validate their view that national health care will never work in the U.S. (Harrington & Estes, 2008, p. 31).

Health care research in the workplace setting is applicable as it provides a means to validate and define standards of care, legal requirements and health policy. Regulation of research is also a critical foundation that must be upheld to prevent abuse and ensure valid data. Shaw describes how research has increasingly become more regulated and formalized as governments have moved to protect the public and ensure more accurate data is produced (Shaw, n.d., 2005, p. 1). Although not currently working in a health care setting, I am a nursing student and will be working in a hospital environment. Health care research will have many applications in the hospital setting.

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