The importance of using secondary data for research in different spheres is growing every day. There are two types of data used for research: primary and secondary. Primary data is the information gathered by the researchers for a specific study. Secondary data is the information that has already been gathered and made publicly available to anyone. According to Johnston (2017), research utilizing secondary data has become more prevalent due to technological advances, and high amounts of data have already been collected, compiled, and stored. When considering cross-cultural training for the New Harbor Memorial Hospital, there are several kinds of data that may be used for research.
There are two kinds of primary data that will be gathered and analyzed for the project, including customer satisfaction and self-reported level of cultural competence. Thus, data concerning the satisfaction levels of patients around the country can be used to compare the level of patient satisfaction in the New Harbor Memorial Hospital with the average levels of satisfaction. Additionally, such secondary data can be used to compare the mean levels of satisfaction of White patients with the level of satisfaction of Latino patients. Another type of secondary data that can be used for analysis is the changes in demographics. Information about the number of people of different ethnicities in the US at different points in time can be helpful to establish the importance of the project, as it would presumably confirm that the Latino population in the US is growing. Additionally, demographical data about the specific area near the New Harbor Memorial Hospital would also be helpful to understand if the tendency was the same in the area.
Reference
Johnston, M. P. (2017). Secondary data analysis: A method of which the time has come. Qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries, 3(3), 619-626.
Class Wiki: Secondary Datasets
Below are the links and descriptions of different datasets that would be useful for my project.
- US population by different characteristics, including sex, age, ethnicity, and income level. Web. This dataset can be used to see the tendencies in the composition of the US population by race, which is crucial for my project, as it promotes cross-cultural training in a hospital to meet the needs of the growing Latino population.
- Patient survey (HCAHPS), a national, standardized survey of hospital patients about their experiences during a recent inpatient hospital stay. Web. This dataset can be used to compare the satisfaction levels of patients in different hospitals and examine the factors that may affect them.
- US population by different characteristics with graphs and analysis. Web.