1. Research design II Peeter Ross Katrin Gross-Paju
Master´s thesis
Research design II
Peeter Ross
Katrin Gross-Paju

2. Aim and timelines
Aim is to support planning and execution of master´s thesis

3. Timelines 14.09 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15 Introduction
Research questions
General recommendations for MA thesis
Parts of research
Participants
21.09 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15
What is your research question?
Topic of your MA thesis
Designing your research – methods overview
28.09 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15
What is your research question?
Topic of your MA thesis
Designing your research: good clinical practice
05.10 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15
Literature overview
Finding your sources

4. presentations 23.11 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15
Aim, goal for MA thesis
Importance of the topic
Research questions
Literature overview

5. Experience from res design I
Topic
Problems
Personal reflections of your project

6. MA thesis – previous experience

7. Title/topic for your MA thesis
Research question
Title/topic for your MA thesis

8. Key questions What are my strengths? What is your research about? Goal
Knowledge
Access?
What is your research about?
Short summary - one sentence
Key questions
Interesting
Gap in literature
Decision making aid
Goal
MA thesis
Timelines
Original research + written text ready in 8 months
Resources, funding
Time resources
Funding opportunities

9. Subject of the thesis 1. Subject of the thesis
The subject of the thesis has to be related to the program and specialisation subject – Health Care Technology..

10. Formal requirements I 2. Requirements for the thesis
2.1 Thesis language has to be the same as study language – English.
2.2 Thesis should be up to 50 pages (not including any appendix pages).
2.3.1 the title page should contain:
a title page in Estonian is also necessary, it will be added after the English title page.
On the English and Estonian title page reverse page must be the authors declaration and supervisors resolution (please see appendix 1 and 2).
2.3.2 Thesis content should contain all headlines with page numbers.
Introduction, conclusion and references page is inserted without the page numbers, but is included in the content.
Also all appendixes must be listed in the content.

12. Thesis is made up: title page content page introduction
thesis main part
conclusion
abstract
references page
appendix pages

13. Formal requirements II
2.3.3 Thesis introduction is formatted according to the main part of the thesis.
Introduction is 1 to 2 pages and should include the thesis subject or the problem statement,
reasons for choosing this topic and its actuality.
2.3.4 Main part of the thesis must give a thorough overview of the subject
set problems
used methods
Results
analysis/discussion
Conclusions
all the most important outcomes to the set problems
if the goals where reached and what was concluded
cannot include new details that are not included in the main part
Capacity 1-2 pages

14. Appendixes
2.3.6 Abstract contains thesis main focus, methods and results in detail but very shortly (to 1 page). Abstract doesn’t contain any opinions related to the thesis. Abstract must be also in Estonian.
2.3.7 Reference page contain all materials used to write the thesis (books, articles, sources). All resources must be indicated as used.
2.3.8 Appendix pages are usually materials that support the thesis as tables, articles, pictures. Appendix pages are added to the end of the thesis

15. Formal requirements III
Literature review - information about selected topic
Why it is important
What is know about the problem?
How it is studied earleier?
Why I study this question(s)
Earlier studies
Follow up
Comparative studies
Research questions
Methods
Validated methods
Validated questionnaires
Participants
Not pre-selected
Results
General results
Subgroup analysis….

16. Formal requirements IV
Discussion
In the same order
Literature review
In the order of introduction
Results with comments in the same order as in results
General results
Subgroup analysis
With comments - discussion of literature
Conclusions
In the same order as research questions
Conclusions should reflect done research/results
In the same order as results

17. siit

18. Research design II Peeter Ross Katrin Gross-Paju
Master´s thesis
Research design II
Peeter Ross
Katrin Gross-Paju

19. Proposed topics (Janek Metsallik, Peeter Ross)
Cartography of digital health applications on Estonian market
Setting the goal of the cartography, design/selection of cartography models, design of application cartography card, collection of facts about applications, discussion on future role and ownership of the cartography.
Comparison of EHIS standardization to IHE XDS Affinity Domain
Description of digital health standardization in Estonia, overview of IHE XDS profile and international use, comparative analysis of standardization practices, discussion feasibility of IHE XDS implementation on EHIS
Layered model of interoperability of digital health in Estonia
Selection of holistic interoperability models, cartography of interoperability means in Estonian digital health, evaluation of gaps and overlaps in standards, discussion on possible developments to overcome gaps/overlaps.
Asynchronous human-to-human communication in digital health
Selection of patient-to-doctor-to-doctor communication scenarios, communication patterns of the scenarios as is, redesign of the communication scenarios based on asynchronous messaging between parties, evaluation of the benefits of the possible change. Discussion on the acceptance and tools for implementing the communication.
Health records visualization patterns for personal decision support
Overview of the visualization methods available in digital health, portals/mobile apps, study of advanced visualization methods in other areas, synthesis of new visualization methods for digital health apps, discussion, on benefits of better visualization, possible roadmaps of implementation in Estonia
Patient managed workflow patterns in digital health
Study of couple of major ambulatory workflows of digital health, understand the steps of the workflow (issue, decision, order, appointment, diagnostics, referral, invoice, claim), evaluation of the workflow control patterns (health institution managed vs patient managed), design of patient managed workflow control environment, discussion on feasibility of patient managed workflow.

20. Proposed topics II
Home-monitoring systems and/or social inclusion for people with chronic conditions (Peeter Ross)
Home-monitoring systems for people with different neurological disorders with different neurological disabilities (Katrin Gross-Paju)
Decision support systems for patients
User-friendliness of electronic records

21. Suggested topics Point of care Integrated hospital topics
Home based monitoring systems
Neurological signs
Home based follow-up people with neurological disorders
Home based rehabilitation systems
Blood pressure monitoring
Blood sugar monitoring
Integrated hospital topics
Technology integration
Integrating human resources
Health information system integration
Estonian “Finnish” doctors´ reflections on technology usage in two countries
Decision support systems
Prescriptions
Cost analysis specific medications
Warfarin
valproate
Personal medicine

23. Timelines 14.09 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15 Introduction
Research questions
General recommendations for MA thesis
Parts of research
Participants
21.09 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15
What is your research question?
Topic of your MA thesis
Designing your research – methods overview
28.09 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15
What is your research question?
Topic of your MA thesis
Designing your research: good clinical practice
05.10 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15
Topic of your MA thesis – all chosen
Literature overview
Finding your sources

24. presentations 23.11 MEK-209 – 16:00 – 19:15
Aim, goal for MA thesis
Importance of the topic
Research questions
Literature overview
Timelines for MA thesis

25. timelines Oct 5th 2015 Topic selected Supervisor contacted
Planning your study
Oct/Nov
Literature review
Pilot study
Nov 20th 2015
Literature review ready
Experiments, analysis
Nov 23rd 2015
Presentation: Topic of research, literature overview
March-April
Results, discussion
April 15th 2016
master´s thesis basics ready
May 2016
defence

26. How do you select the topic?
What question interests you?
Are good with people?
Are you good with programmes?
Are you good with statistics?
Language barriers?
Are good with social media?
What is your background experience?
What is really that interests you?
Real conditions or attitudes?

27. Key questions What is your research about? Goal Timelines
Interesting unsolved problem
Decision making aid
Analysis of systems
Goal
MA thesis
Selected topic
Not too general
Timelines
Original research + written text ready in 8 months
Resources, funding
Time resources
Funding opportunities

28. Participants/access to information
Number
Access
Selection bias
Patients vs healthy people vs professionals
Contacting methods
Internet
Mail
Phone
hospital etc based

29. Key questions cont. III Where When Geographical location
Costs
Venue (home, interview room)
Costs/time
When
Difficult periods
Christmas, summer

30. Research design - methodology
Qualitative
Interviews
Structured
Semistructured
unstructured
focus groups
Discussion groups
Quantitative
Data generate statistics

32. Focus groups Moderator, facilitator Discussion group
Personal interview vs discussion group
Wide range of experiences/openness of participants
Interaction/ not all contribute
Individual views difficult to capture

33. Different types - Qualitative research
Action research
Organisational behaviour
Ethnography
Observations
Grounded theory
Collecting data as long as needed
Feminist research
Male animals and research subjects
Case studies

35. Research design - methodology
Qualitative
Interviews
Structured
Semistructured
unstructured
focus groups
Discussion groups
Quantitative
Data generate statistics

36. Quantitative research
Experiment
Treatment
Survey
Cross-sectional
Longitudinal
generalizability

37. Clinical trial

39. TOWER

40. Quantitative research
Experiment
Treatment
Survey
Cross-sectional
Longitudinal
generalizability

41. Mixed methods Sequential Qualitative Quantitative Focus groups
Interviews
Quantitative
Questionnaires

42. Participants Number of participants Goals vs methods Quantitative
Semi-structured
Grounded methodology
Goals vs methods

43. Participants II Census Sampling Contact everybody Careful procedure
Probability samples
Purposive samples

45. Probability samples Simple random sample Cluster sample
generated by computer from the all-inclusive list
Cluster sample
Geographical
Systematic random sample
Every 2nd, 3rd etc from the list
How list is generated
Stratified random sample
art vs science students

46. Purposive samples Quota sample Snow-ball Theoretical sampling
represent all groups of participants
Female, male, ages, interests etc
Snow-ball
Each participant suggests the next
Theoretical sampling
Pre-selected extreme cases

47. How many ?
Preselected participants
Pre-specified sub groups

49. Collecting data

50. Interview Structured Semistructured Unstructured Boxes for answers
Qualitative social research
Identical open ended questions
Unstructured
In depth , life history
Free talk with little direction
Close contact with participant

51. Questionnaires Close ended Open-ended Combination of both Response
biases
Payment for answers
Extra interest

52. Data analysis

55. Background research Primary observation Secondary research
Aim, problem and goal
Secondary research
Additional studies/experience, observation
Information
Literature
publications
Storing,
Folders
File names
Web based

57. Background research Primary observation Secondary research
Aim, problem and goal
Secondary research
Additional studies/experience, observation
Information
Literature
publications
Storing,
Folders
File names
Web based