Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents:Investigating health services and health: the scope of research: Evaluating health services: multidisciplinary collaboration -- Social research on health: sociological and psychological concepts and approaches:Health and illness -- Social factors in illness and response to illness -- Models of health behaviour -- Health-related quality of life -- Interactions between health professionals and patients -- Health needs and their assessment:demography and epidemiology: The assessment of health needs -- Epidemiology -- The role of demography -- Costing health services: health economic -- The philosophy, theory and practice of research: The philosophical framework of measurement -- The principle of research -- Quantitative research: sampling and research methods: sample size and sampling of quantitative research: Calculation of sample size, statistical significance and sampling -- Methods of sampling -- Quantitative research: surveys: survey methods -- methods of analyzing change in longitudinal studies -- Quantitative research: Experiments and other analytic methods of investigation -- Sample selection and group assignment methods in experiments and other analytic methods -- The tools of quantitative research -- Data collection methods in quantitative research: questionnaire, interviews and their response rates -- Questionnaire design -- Techniques of survey interviewing -- Preparation of quantitative data for coding and analysis -- Qualitative and combined research methods and their analysis: Unstructured and structured observational studies -- Unstructured interview and focus group -- Focus groups -- Mixed research approaches: case studies -- Consensus methods -- Action research and rapid appraisal techniques -- Document research