Revised Overall Action Research Question (10/5/2012)
How can we increase the incidences of healthcare office workers providing comprehensive financial discussion through a combination of e-learning and face to face training, telephone coaching, performance support and incentives?
Within such a question, the topics needing research encompass changing mindset, interpersonal communications skills, counseling skills, strengths and weakness of learning modes (distance learning vs. face to face), and more.
While searching for prior research, I am discovering I would need to create a literature review for all of the previously mentioned topics.
Also, while communicating the scope of the project at my place of employment, my team and I are realizing that multiple learning modules will have to be developed.
We all agreed, however, that one of the earliest goals we need to accomplish is to change the mindset of workers from not wanting to perform a comprehensive financial discussion to wanting - or acknowledging that - it's important to perform a comprehensive financial conversation with every patient. From prior marketing research, we have discovered a bias against performing thsi conversation. My team
So my Overall Research Question has now changed to the following:
Revised Overall Research Question (10/19/12)
How can I, through a combination of e Learning face to face training, and web based classes, change the mindset of medical provider employees from not wanting to perform a comprehensive financial discussion to wanting (or acknowledging that it's important) to perform a comprehensive financial discussion with every patient.
Search terms associated with this narrower scope include: attitude; cognitive bias; mindset; and changing attitude through training.
My cycle one research question remains the same.
If I interview a mix of patients, providers, and office workers, how will it develop my knowledge as to why a comprehensive financial discussion may not happen when it should have?
Why is This Important?
Reducing the scope to make the Action Research manageable is very important because I can now perform the Action research and learn from it within the timeline of my MALT program.
How Do I Feel About this Change?
I feel relieved about changing the scope of the Action Research to a narrower focus. I was feeling, before this change, that I could not provide adequate resources to the larger scope project. I am now very confident that my Action Research can be completed within the necessary time limits and will yield important information for my professional practice.