Introduction to Project Management in Health Research

Tim Usherwood

Oct 1996 · McGraw-Hill Education (UK)

About this ebook

• How do I plan my research in a systematic way in order to maximize my chances of obtaining funding and successfully answering my research question?
• How do I manage the project so that the research question is answered and the study objectives met, on time and within budget?

This book provides the answers to these queries and others that are frequently raised by first-time researchers. It offers a straightforward and practical description of a systematic and structured approach to research project management.

Recent years have seen a tremendous increase in research activity concerned with health and health care, and employing methodologies derived from a wide range of disciplines including epidemiology, health economics and other social sciences. Many books have been published describing the methods of such research. However, research projects that run into difficulties rarely do so for methodological reasons but through poor project management. Typical problems include running over budget, differences of opinion with key stakeholders, and missed completion deadlines. The aim of this book is to offer practical advice on the application to research of a range of project management processes including those of:

• time and activity management
• budgetary control
• management of stakeholder relationships
• product marketing

The book is aimed primarily at newcomers to health research and the intention is to describe a systematic and structured approach that will help to bring a research project to a successful conclusion.

About the author

Tim Usherwood qualified in medicine in 1978. He has undertaken research and has published in the fields of primary care organization, health status measurement, medical education, management of asthma and depression in the community, the pathophysiology of hypertension and basic human neurophysiology. In 1995 he was appointed Professor of General Practice at the University of Sydney, where he lives with his wife and their three children.