Health Services Research vs a couple of other fields

Health Service Research versus a Couple of other Fields
The objective of any research is to explore the likely causes of a problem or the effectiveness of any intervention to address such problem (Cohen & Arieli, 2012). However, the protocol, the content, and the methodology of a research significantly vary across different fields. This essay highlights the differences between the fields of healthcare service research and accounting, and health administration research. The objective of this article is to examine the differences between an individual from the field of accounting research, or health administration research, to the field of health service research.
The Board of Directors of the AHSR (Association of Health Services Research) defined health services research as a multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that explores the role of social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, personal behaviors affecting the access to healthcare, the quality and cost of healthcare, and ultimately those factors that improve the perception or the sense of wellbeing(Lohr&Steinwachs, 2002). The basic principle behind such elaborate definition was to accommodate individuals from different and allied specialties to improve healthcare services and healthcare delivery. Lohr&Steinwachs (2002) further highlighted that HSR should be oriented to explore the impact of healthcare services on both individuals and the target population.

The major goal of HSR is to identify the most cost-effective ways for organizing, managing, and delivering high quality and safe healthcare across concerned stakeholders (Lohr&Steinwachs, 2002). This field of healthcare research also explores the means and methods for extending healthcare delivery to underserved populations and across those individuals who are unable to access safe and quality healthcare services (Lohr&Steinwachs, 2002). On the contrary, clinical research is limited to the development and evaluation of legacy and novel therapeutic interventions (Lohr&Steinwachs, 2002). Since the field of HSR is multidisciplinary, it attracts professionals from different specialties such as nursing, management, economics, public health, technology, and operations research. There are two basic approaches on which HSR is based; implementation research and evaluation research. The former explores the concern of policymakers and healthcare managers that limits the implementation a specific healthcare policy or intervention (Lohr&Steinwachs, 2002). The latter explores the most effective way of delivering a specific healthcare intervention to an individual or across a target population (Lohr&Steinwachs, 2002). The specialty of HSR contends that the quality of health services is strongly influenced by social, economic, fiscal, and political factors that are related to either a patient or the healthcare organization in context (Lohr&Steinwachs, 2002).
On the other hand, Oler, Oler, &Skousen (2010) defined accounting research as “the research that explores the impact of economic events on the perspectives of accounting, and the effects of reported information that are related to such economic events on accounting practice.” The specialty of accounting research (AR) similarly attracts professionals from the field of finance, management sciences, auditing, and taxation. The field of AR explores the impact or decision-making that is related to the implementation of new accounting norms, situations of unusual fiscal transactions, and implementation of new taxation standards on an individual or a firm (Oler et al., 2010). Accounting research is mainly carried out by organizations (such as the International Accounting Standards Board) that are entrusted with setting standards (Oler et al., 2010). The field of AR is based on financial information, scientific experiments, and software simulations. However, the field of AR is neither multidisciplinary nor associated with service delivery across underserved populations which are hallmark features of HSR. Rather, the field of AR is divided into various fields; financial accounting research, auditing research, managerial accounting research, and taxation research (Oler et al., 2010).
In this context, Health administration research is limited to the delivery of healthcare services within an organization. This field of health research is involved in exploring avenues that are related to total quality management (Haddock & McLean, 2002). However, the field of health administration research includes professionals from the field of financial, accounting, and healthcare research. This article reflected that the three fields of professional service should align and integrate with each other to ensure cost-effective, safe, and quality care across healthcare consumers.
References
Cohen, N. & Arieli, T. (2011). “Field research in conflict environments: Methodological challenges and snowball sampling”. Journal of Peace Research. 48 (4), 423–436.
Haddock, C. C., & McLean, R. D. (2002). “Careers in Healthcare Management: How to Find your Path and Follow It.” Chicago: Health Administration Press
Lohr, K &Steinwachs, D. (2002) Health Services Research: An Evolving Definition of the Field,Health Serv Res, 37(1), 15–17.
 Oler, D, Oler, M, &Skousen, C. (2010).“Characterizing Accounting Research.” Accounting Horizons 24 (4), 635–670