Conducting your Pharmacy Practice Research Project

Part 1 Preparation, planning and management
1. Introduction
2. Types of pharmacy practice projects
3. Setting up the project, protocol development and ethics
4. Time management and working with others
5. Patient and public involvement
6. For supervisors

Part 2 Scientific enquiry and research/service evaluation methodology
7. A scientific approach to your research
8. Reviewing the literature
9. Study design
10. Sources of information, datasets, sampling and recruitment
11. Data collection: survey research and questionnaires
12. Data collection: interviews and focus groups
13. Data collection: prospective methods
14. Existing datasets and secondary analyses
15. Data processing and analysis

Part 3 Writing up and dissemination of finding
16. Writing the project report/research paper
17. Dissemination of the findings

Research in pharmacy practice and medicines use is an important component of many postgraduate and undergraduate pharmacy programmes.

It is seen as invaluable in informing professional practice and service development.

This clear and concise handbook considers the stages of the research process in logical order, from planning of the project through to dissemination of the findings.
Divided into three comprehensive sections, contents include:

• preparation, planning and management;
• scientific enquiry and research methodology;
• writing up and dissemination of the findings.

This third edition of Conducting Your Pharmacy Practice Research Project has been restructured to aid navigation and comprehensively revised and expanded in recognition of the increased diversity of projects undertaken by students. This systematic guide will be of use to undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students and their supervisors. It will also appeal to researchers unfamiliar with health services research methods and to practising pharmacists new to conducting a research project.

"This textbook...is a useful and concise resource for "first time researchers" in any practice setting...One of the strengths of this text is that it specifically devotes a section to "Writing up and Dissemination of the Findings", as an integral component of the research process...For those working in hospital pharmacy this section is especially useful as it emphasises the need to communicate research findings in order to effect change in the local setting, and how this might be done...Overall, this text is best read in its entirety (a fairly easy read!) as an introduction to research, and would be useful to anyone commencing a research project, not just research students and their supervisors. The text should be part of any hospital pharmacy's library of resources, and a prerequisite text for those taking on roles involving research activities at any level"

Dr Beata V. Bajorek, Academic Pharmacist, University of Sydney, Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research 41(1) 2011. -- Beata V. Bajorek * Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research *