Research Applications
Oral History and Application to Research
The use of health coaches and oral histories as a part of patient treatment is cutting edge. Therefore, all implemented programs that require grant funding will need to track outcomes; it is important to consider how one might use oral history to conduct research. One such way is the employment of grounded theory, which entails the collection of oral histories to explore and determine themes within a population. These themes may be formulated into a quantitative research question with observable patient outcomes.
Grounded theory research is used to help identify the key issues and motives in a population. For example, providers may feel they know why their patients choose to smoke or "refuse" to change their diet, but when the question is brought directly to the source, surprising answers may be uncovered. If desired and utilized effectively, oral histories can provide the initial data for this kind of research.
Additionally, quantitative studies can be done on the impact of health coaches or the use of oral history as an intervention. Some ideas for possible patient outcomes to consider for health coach/oral history research are:
The use of health coaches and oral histories as a part of patient treatment is cutting edge. Therefore, all implemented programs that require grant funding will need to track outcomes; it is important to consider how one might use oral history to conduct research. One such way is the employment of grounded theory, which entails the collection of oral histories to explore and determine themes within a population. These themes may be formulated into a quantitative research question with observable patient outcomes.
Grounded theory research is used to help identify the key issues and motives in a population. For example, providers may feel they know why their patients choose to smoke or "refuse" to change their diet, but when the question is brought directly to the source, surprising answers may be uncovered. If desired and utilized effectively, oral histories can provide the initial data for this kind of research.
Additionally, quantitative studies can be done on the impact of health coaches or the use of oral history as an intervention. Some ideas for possible patient outcomes to consider for health coach/oral history research are:
- A1C or other lab work
- Blood Pressure
- Lipids
- Smoking Status
- Medication Compliance
- Hospital or Emergency Department Admissions or Readmissions
- Patient Reported Symptoms
- Patient Satisfaction
- Health Coach Self Reported Job Efficacy and Satisfaction
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