title: Health services research methods: tools for nurse leaders.
abstract: A political competency for leaders is to effectively articulate the evidence behind management best practices. Evidence-based practice requires special skills from the nurse leader, many of which are found in health services research (HSR) methods. This review presents approaches associated with HSR, which can be used by nurse managers for the benefit of their units. HSR methods reviewed are cost analyses, small area analysis, geographic information systems, use of existing databases, quality of care measures, and risk adjustment. This review examines the kind of evidence various HSR methods provide, as well as examples of their use and resources needed to apply them.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Nursing Faculty, University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, CO 80262, USA. Victoria.Baker@uchsc
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D019992:Databases as Topic; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015401:Nursing Administration Research / Q000379:methods*; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012107:Research Design; D020379:Risk Adjustment; D017062:Small-Area Analysis