Health Services Research is a multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation  that studies how social factors, financing systems, organisational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviours affect  accessibility, cost and quality of healthcare, and our health and well-being (definition by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), USA, 2002).

HSR can provide insights to inform efforts aimed at improving  both processes and outcomes in healthcare, and is a strategic area to build research capabilities in SGH to put “Patients at the heart of all we do".

Overview

HSRU was formerly known as the Health Services Research and Biostatistics Unit. Set up in 2012, the Unit was previously housed in the Division of Research, and provided research support for HSR researchers in SGH.

In August 2015, as part of a larger re-organisation in SGH, the  Unit was relocated to Medicine Academic Clinical Programme (ACP) under the  Division of Medicine. HSRU continues to serve the HSR needs of SGH, and works closely with various ACPs and Divisions in SGH to support HSR.

Services

The Unit supports the SGH HSR community through the following:

Consultations and Collaborations*

• Study design
• Statistical methods
• Qualitative research methods
• Economic evaluation of healthcare interventions

Database Management

• Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) Administration

• Healthcare Data Analytics

• De-identification of patient data for research for SGH researchers  

• Maintenance of a Registry of Databases in SGH (RoD)