Please see the presentation from Professor Tim Swanwick from the Health Education Catalyst event back in January

1. Do we need
health education research?
Professor Tim Swanwick
Postgraduate Dean, HEE NC&E London

2. ‘…at the heart of every efficient, effective, informed
clinician is an educational system that understands
the processes of teaching, learning and practice.
This understanding comes from research within the
field of ‘medical education’’.
‘…improving the processes and outcomes of
education and training and adds to our
understanding of how to create better learners and a
more informed, progressive and adaptive workforce.’

3. What is the purpose of
health education research?
To improve the quality and safety
of patient care?
To direct investment and effort
more effectively?
To promote a culture of enquiry
and criticality?

5. Cooper H et al (2001) Developing an evidence base for
interdisciplinary learning: a systematic review.
Journal of Advanced Nursing 35(2): 228-237.
‘The overall aim of the study was to explore the feasibility of
introducing interdisciplinary education within undergraduate
health professional programmes…The number of studies found
was 141 but only 30 (21%) were included in the analysis
because of lack of methodological rigour in the research and
poorly developed outcome measures.’

6. Cook DA et al (2013) Technology-enhanced simulation to
assess health professionals: A systematic review of validity
evidence, research methods, and reporting quality.
Academic Medicine 88(6): 872-883.
…evidence for simulation-based assessments is sparse and is
concentrated within specific specialties, tools, and sources of
validity evidence. The methodological and reporting quality of
assessment studies leaves much room for improvement.

7. Schucan Bird K et al (2015) Workplace-based learning for
undergraduate and pre-registration healthcare professionals: A
systematic map of the UK research literature 2003-2013. EPPI-
Centre, Social Science Research Unit, UCL Institute of
Education, University College London.
• none of the studies reported quantitative measurements of
the impacts of workplace-based learning on health service
delivery or the quality of patient care.

8. Ahmed R, Farooq A, Storie D, Hartling L, Oswald A (2015)
Building capacity for education research among clinical educators
in the health professions: A BEME (Best Evidence Medical
Education) Systematic Review of the outcomes of interventions:
BEME Guide No. 34.
‘Unfortunately, most of the included studies lacked detailed
description of the intervention and were of low to moderate
quality with post-test only design.’

9. ‘Lessons drawn from the evidence-based practice movement of
the last ten years and the current experience with BEME suggest
that, although BEME will inform some educational policies and
practices, its initial success may be limited because of the paucity
of studies that meet current standards for evidence and the great
difficulty in conducting methodologically rigorous studies in the
complex social interaction called education.’ (Dauphinee D,
Academic Medicine, 2004)

10. Technological
Political
Cultural
House E (1981). Three perspectives on innovation: technological, political and
cultural. In: Lehming R, Kane M (eds.), Improving schools: Using what we know.
Beverley Hills, CA: Sage Publications.

11. ‘the major use of social research is not the application of
specific data to specific decisions. Rather, government
decision makers tend to use research indirectly, as a source of
ideas, information, and orientations to the world. Although the
process is not easily discernible, over time it may have
profound effects on policy. Even research that challenges
current values and political feasibilities is judged useful by
decision makers.’
Weiss C H (1977) Research for Policy's Sake: The Enlightenment Function of
Social Research. Policy Analysis 3(4): 531-545.

12. Do we need
health education research?
• Does it make a difference to patients?
• Does it have a significant influence?
• How, and over what timescale?
• Does it require more/less investment?
• Should we research more, less, better?
• What are the ‘big’ research questions?
• How could research capacity be developed?