Conceptualizing Research

Aparasu, RR., 2011, Research Methods for Pharmaceutical Practice and Policy, Pharmaceutical Press, London, UK

Didik Setiawan, PhD., Apt

- Faculty of Pharmacy,
- Center for Health Economic Studies,
Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Purwokerto, Indonesia
Conceptualization

• the process of developing and refining theoretical ideas

• In quantitative research;
• a process of finding appropriate theoretical constructs for explaining or
understanding practical phenomena
• Theory-driven research is more generalizable and its findings are
more relevant to practice and policy developments.
•  will demonstrate the importance of theory-guided research and
how the use of theoretical frameworks is needed
Definition of concept and construct
A concept

• Is a word or term that stands for something – a feeling, a

characteristics, a behavior, or an object.
• Example of concept: health outcomes, access to care, and health
behaviors
• Example: the concept of “healthcare quality”
• The absence of medication dispensing error
• A lower incidence of preventable DRPs
• Could be abstracted from a particular behavior or characteristics
A construct

• Is a concept with the added meaning of having been constructed

for purposes of research (Kerlinger 1986)
• Terms such as concept, construct, and variable are used
interchangeably, although theoretically different
Examples

• Quality of Life
• What is the concept of QoL
• a broad multidimensional concept that usually includes subjective evaluations
of both positive and negative aspects of life.
• What is the construct of QoL
• A measure of several aspects and translated into a number of utility using some
questionnaire
 5 dimens ion
al ity o f L ife
urop ean Qu
E EQ-5D
Example

• Access to care
• What is the concept of Access to care
• Can be define as physician visits, presence of health insurance, and delay in
seeking care
• What is the construct of Access to care
• Translate into variable that can be measured in an empirical investigation

s e d t o cr e at e
i n i t i o n ar e u ct
a n d d e f o f a b st r a
Variables m e a s u re m e n t f o r m
er v a t i on a b l e
ob s u c ts
s a n d c o n s t r
co n c e p t
Theory in healthcare research

The primary goal of science

Theory

• a set of interrelated constructs (concepts), definitions, and

propositions that present a systematic view of phenomena by
specifying relations among variables, with the purpose of explaining
and predicting phenomena
• These propositions are statements about the relationship between
variables, i.e., how change in one variable is related to change in
another variable
• A theoretical model or framework is more like a “mini-theory”
because it focuses on a few elements abstracted from all of reality
and is not necessarily as well “worked out” as a theory (Simon 1978)
Testing a theory

• Theories are not directly tested, but the hypotheses that are
formulated deductively from the theory are empirically tested
• A hypothesis is a statement about the expected relationships
between two or more variables
• Hypotheses serve as bridges between theory and the empirical
study (Kerlinger 1986) and they should flow directly from the
theoretical model or framework
• Hypotheses are never really proved or disproved. Rather, research
findings may support or not support the hypothesis (Simon 1978)
Application of a theory

• Theories are inherently abstract and are only practically useful

when applied to specific problems
• Therefore, to effectively apply theory, a researcher must
operationalize constructs so that they can be measured and
relationships tested.
• The operational definition of a variable serves as a bridge between
theory and observation
Types of variables in pharmaceutical
research
A variable is a concept that varies in either type or amount
Independent and dependent variables

• Independent (cause) and dependent (effect)

• The impact of antidepressant and weight gain
• Variables are not inherently independent or dependent, they can
be independent in one study and dependent in another study
• astudy investigate the relationship between gender (independent) and
medication adherence (dependent); another study might evaluate the
effect of medication adherence (independent) on high blood pressure
(dependent).
Attribute and active variables

• Attribute variables are those characteristics that participants bring

to a research study and are simply measured or documented by
the researcher. Attributes of a person (e.g., race, socioeconomic
status, gender) or environ- ment (e.g., rural/urban, county or
region of residence) are examples of attri- bute-independent
variables. Attribute variables are typically not actively
manipulated in the research
Attribute and active variables

• Active variables, on the other hand, can be manipulated by the

researcher. Active variables are most relevant in experimental
research whereby study groups are exposed to different
treatments, the manipulated variable. For example, in a study of
the effects of a pharmacist-provided medication therapy
management service, one group is exposed to the service
(treatment group) and one group does not receive the service
(control group).
Attribute and active variables

• Although some variables are naturally attributes, other variables

can be either attribute or active depending upon the study
situation (Kerlinger 1986). Attitude is a good example. A person’s
attitude toward taking medications can be measured (attribute) or
actively manipulated as in the following example. A researcher
may promote a more favorable attitude toward a medication by
telling members of one group that the drug is highly effective with
few side effects whereas members of the other group are told that
the drug is highly effective but has many side effects, promoting a
less favorable attitude.
Continuous or categorical variable
Latent versus observable variables

• a latent variable is an unobserved ‘entity’ presumed to underlie

observed variables Latent variables can be thought of as constructs.
Researchers interested in patient satisfaction must understand that
patient satisfaction is a latent variable. One cannot see it or feel it.
• In order to study patient satisfaction, however, it must be measured.
In a research study, the presumed indicators of patient satisfaction
are actually measured, such as a score on a satisfaction scale. Patient
satisfaction itself cannot directly be measured because, as Kerlinger
(1986) noted, it is an in-the-head variable, an unobservable thing –
hence, a latent variable. It is not until patient satisfaction is
operationally defined that it becomes an observable variable
Scientific relationship in pharmacy research
Relationship

• A relationship exists between two variables when a change in one

variable corresponds with a change in the other. The association
can be positive or negative, e.g., it is fairly well established that
there is a negative relationship between health insurance
coverage and morbidity rates. More specifically, a lack of health
insurance
• coverage (independent variable) is related to increased morbidity
(dependent variable). When conducting quantitative research
studies, investigators are testing the relationships between
independent and dependent variables.
Correlational and causal relationships

• A correlational relationship is one in which changes in the

independent variable are associated with changes in the
dependent variable. Using the example above, although one
cannot necessarily say that a lack of health insurance causes
morbidity, one can say that the two variables are correlated with
each other
Correlational and causal relationships

• a causal (or cause-and-effect) relationship is one in which the

independent variable causes the dependent variable or, to put it
another way, a change in the independent variable produces a
change in the dependent variable. A simple example is that
increased caloric intake causes weight gain.
Discussion
Task

• Choose one research question and define:

• What are the independent and dependent variables
• What are the attribute and active variables
• What are the continuous and categorical variables
• What are the latent and observable variables
Wrong example
Didik Setiawan, PhD., Apt

Email: d.didiksetiawan@gmail.com
WA: +31 631 254575
Phone: 081 226 700 119
www.ches.ump.ac.id