BACKGROUND
The course provides an introduction to the operations research methodologies most frequently used by international reproductive health programs and prepares current/future program administrators and policymakers to play an active role in programmatic research. The course has a strong focus on the role, rights and responsibilities of program managers and policymakers in establishing research priorities and in setting parameters for the research design, including deciding the time and program resources available for the study, tolerable levels of obtrusiveness in program operations, the absolute magnitude of improvement required to change program procedures, and the degree of precision required of the results. Participants will use the methodological principles and managerial criteria taught in the course to critique the programmatic usefulness of actual reproductive health OR proposals and reports.
Operations Research (OR) is research that attempts to improve services delivery and is an integral and long-established part of public health practice. Managers of health programs are often required to collaborate with researchers whether in making facilities available for research, identifying problems requiring research, or judging the usefulness of the research findings. Often, managers are not prepared for their rights and responsibilities in the research process.
The study of factors under program managers’ control is what differentiates OR from other research. Independent variables can be manipulated by managers, and dependent variables are program outputs, client behavioral outcomes, or health impacts. OR is the problem defined and not limited to any specific methodology (e.g. surveys, experiments, models).