Based on the research contents of the sampled study, the main research questions presented by Mendenhall and Doherty (2007) investigate how health care service providers and patients overcome traditional barriers to diabetes management by redesigning a new and inclusive disease management approach. One research question focused on understanding the formulation and redesign processes of the inclusive framework – Partners in Diabetes (PID). Another research question focused on understanding the barrier and mistakes made in formulating and implementing the PID program (Mendenhall & Doherty, 2007). These research questions sought to explore the main phenomenon of study through descriptive assessments of different contexts of the research phenomenon.
The research questions presented by Mendenhall and Doherty (2007) were focused and specific because they reflected the main research phenomenon, which is to evaluate how PID could improve diabetes management practices. This attribute aligns with the views of Salkind (2012) who says research questions need to be direct, focused and specific. The research questions presented by Mendenhall and Doherty (2007) also go a step further to find out how the PID framework could extend to other facets of health care management. Thus, they present a holistic understanding of the research phenomenon by investigating important aspects of its implementation, including its link with traditional diabetes management philosophies, current problems with the formulation and design of health management philosophies and, lastly, the potential for future applications (Newman, Ridenour, Newman, & DeMarco, 2003). This way, the research questions highlight three main facets of the research phenomenon – the past (how health care service providers dominated health management processes), the contemporary potential application of PID, and the future of chronic disease management (it’s potential to improve diabetes management and other chronic disease management programs). Based on the nature of the questions presented by Mendenhall and Doherty (2007), the questions center the study by exploring different tenets of the research phenomenon. Possibly limited by the research approach adopted by Mendenhall and Doherty (2007), the main weakness of the research questions presented by Mendenhall and Doherty (2007) is the failure to accommodate a synthesis of multiple sources of research data.
The purpose of the sampled study was to find out ways for improving the management of diabetes through a collaborative program – PID. By finding out the experiences of participants and other parties involved in its implementation, the program sought to find out better ways of improving diabetes management and extending the program’s application to other facets of health care management (Mendenhall and Doherty, 2007). The proposed health care model thrives on promoting increased partnerships between health care service providers and their patients. The research questions related to the purpose statement by finding out the challenges and mistakes that could impede the realization of a holistic framework for merging the interests of patients and health care service providers in diabetes care management. The research questions also seek to define the transition between traditional health care models where providers are experts who offered services to passive patients) to a more comprehensive health care service delivery model that recognizes patients as participants. Lastly, the research questions provide useful insights into how policy experts could redesign the proposed health care model PID and improve it for maximum usefulness.
In line with the views highlighted in the first paragraph of this report, the main undoing of the research question is the failure to accommodate multiple data. However, based on the nature of the research questions presented by Mendenhall and Doherty (2007), the questions posed by the respondents appear focused and analytical. The last question that seeks to find out future applications of PID are subject to further analysis because what specific areas of chronic disease management would PID apply?
References
Mendenhall, T., & Doherty, W. (2007). Partners in diabetes: Action research in a primary care setting. Action Research, 5(4), 378–406.
Newman, I., Ridenour, C. S., Newman, C., & DeMarco, G. M. P. (2003). A typology of research purposes and its relationship to mixed methods. Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Salkind, N. (2012). 100 Questions (and Answers) About Research Methods. London, UK: SAGE.