Research Methods in Health Services Research

Catalog description

Introduction to regression models in health services research, including violations and tests of model assumptions and solutions for those violations. HPA 564 Research Methods in Health Services Research (3)This course is the initial course on health services research methods for master's of science and doctoral students in the Department of Health Policy and Administration. In the context of the typical types of data used by health services researchers, students are introduced to the basic linear regression models that are fundamental for understanding more complex modeling of health care data. The course also reviews common data problems in health services research, including heteroskedasticity, serial and auto-correlation, and limited dependent variables. The objectives of the course are:to help students understand the theoretical and practical aspects of applying linear regression models to health care data;to help students understand the typical ways in which health care data often lead to violations of the assumptions of linear regression to develop students' knowledge and skills in being able to use statistical models to test for and correct health data for heteroskedasticity, serial and autocorrelationto introduce students to binary response models that are ubiquitous in health services research.