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Operational Research: A tool for making health programmes work better

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Operational research refers to the systematic investigation of real-world health system problems and finding practical solutions to improve health service delivery.

It is not confined to laboratories or tertiary care hospital settings instead, it is conducted within real-world routine healthcare environments. It seeks to answer the question: "How can we make existing health programmes work better?"

Objective

This factsheet explains what operational research is and how it can be used to improve health service delivery in real-world settings.

Target audience

Frontline health workers, programme managers, and policymakers involved in healthcare delivery.

Union Course: How to develop a research grant proposal

This open-access course provides researchers with the relevant knowledge and skills to be able to plan, design and write grants in their own right.

The online course includes the following topics:

  • Introduction to operational research with examples 
  • Research questions and methodology 
  • Research methodology, data analysis and statistical analysis 
  • Investigators, authorship, references 
  • Ethics and completion of protocol 
  • Types of grants and calls for proposals
  • Project and budget management