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The Methods and Study Designs of Operations Research Excerpted from Designing HIV/AIDS Intervention Studies: An Operations Research Handbook, Andrew Fisher and James Foreit, 2002, Washington, DC: Population Council. (More on OR Handbook) The methods of OR range from the qualitative to the quantitative, and the study designs from the non-experimental to the true experimental (Intervention Designs). There is no single set of methods or designs unique to operations research. Indeed, it is not the application of a particular set of methods or the use of one design over another that distinguishes OR from other forms of research. Rather, it is the focus or objective of the research. Simply stated and in its broadest terms, the objective of operations research is to improve the delivery of services. While OR studies may use experimental or non-experimental designs and may include a quantitative analysis of outcome measures or a qualitative consideration of health issues, the central objective always is to obtain a better understanding of the “operations” of programs so that needed improvements can be made. |
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