What are some ideas for simple research using a questionnaire method as an Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB-GYN)?

Simple Questionnaire-Based Research Ideas for OB-GYN Practice

Patient Satisfaction and Experience Studies

The most straightforward and impactful questionnaire research in OB-GYN focuses on patient satisfaction across the continuum of maternity care, as this directly influences quality improvement initiatives and patient-centered outcomes. 1, 2

Maternity Care Experience Assessment

• Develop a comprehensive satisfaction survey covering the entire pregnancy journey (prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum periods) using validated frameworks like SERVQUAL methodology 2, 3
• Use open-ended questions to identify what matters most to patients—this clinimetric approach has identified 51 distinct satisfaction items across six main categories: physicians, nurses, other staff, special services, hospital attributes, and personal focus 1
• Focus areas consistently rated as important include: staff politeness, patient respect and privacy, hand cleanliness, involvement in decision-making, and risk communication 3

Service Delivery and Access Studies

• Survey women about barriers to accessing abortion services, including waiting times for GP appointments, blood tests, ultrasounds, and difficulties navigating the healthcare system 4
• Compare different service delivery models (nurse-led vs. physician-led clinics, telemedicine vs. face-to-face, hospital vs. community settings) using patient satisfaction as the primary outcome 4

Contraception and Family Planning Research

Contraceptive Knowledge and Decision-Making

• Assess women's knowledge about long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs) before and after structured counseling using a tiered approach (most effective methods first) 4
• Survey contraceptive experiences and preferences by asking: current method use, past methods tried, difficulties experienced (side effects, compliance issues), emergency contraception use, and partner involvement in decision-making 4
• Evaluate women's understanding of method effectiveness rates and correct usage after counseling sessions 4

Reproductive Life Planning

• Develop questionnaires assessing women's reproductive life plans: whether they want children, desired timing and spacing, and how these plans align with current contraceptive use 4
• Survey the gap between pregnancy intentions and contraceptive behaviors, particularly relevant since approximately half of US pregnancies are unintended 4

Primary Care and Preventive Health Studies

OB-GYN as Primary Care Provider

• Survey women's perceptions of their OB-GYN as their primary care provider—existing research shows 20% consider their OB-GYN their PCP, 52% identify another provider, and 28% have no identified PCP 5
• Assess comfort levels receiving routine primary care services (blood pressure monitoring, cholesterol screening, diabetes screening) in the OB-GYN setting 5
• Identify which demographic groups are most likely to use OB-GYN as PCP: pregnant women, mothers of newborns, and those without chronic health conditions 5

Cardiovascular Risk Awareness

• Survey women's awareness of cardiovascular disease as their leading cause of death—current data shows only 45% of women correctly identify this 4
• Assess knowledge of pregnancy-related cardiovascular risk factors (preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension) and their long-term implications 4
• Evaluate women's understanding of modifiable risk factors: hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and physical inactivity 4

Preconception Care Studies

Preconception Health Assessment

• Survey women of reproductive age about preconception health behaviors: folic acid supplementation, smoking cessation, alcohol use (using CAGE or T-ACE screening), medication review, and vaccination status 4
• Assess knowledge gaps regarding optimal preconception laboratory testing: complete blood count, urinalysis, blood type, rubella immunity, STI screening, diabetes screening, and thyroid function 4
• Evaluate barriers to preconception care visits and women's understanding of the importance of optimizing health before pregnancy 4

Sexual Health and STI Prevention

Sexual Health Assessment

• Develop questionnaires using the "5 P's" framework: Practices (types of sexual activity), Pregnancy prevention (contraceptive use), Partners (number, gender, concurrency), Protection from STDs (condom use patterns), and Past STD history 4
• Survey situations that make condom use easier or harder, and assess knowledge about STI risk factors 4

Methodological Considerations for Your Research

Questionnaire Design Principles

• Ensure your instrument has demonstrated validity: convergent validity (similar constructs correlate), discriminant validity (dissimilar constructs don't correlate), and construct validity (known groups differ as expected) 4
• Establish reliability ≥0.70 for group-level comparisons through test-retest reliability and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) 4
• Clearly define the recall period for responses (past week, since last visit, etc.) and maintain uniform timing across participants 4

Administration and Scoring

• Specify administration method (telephone, email, in-person) and account for any patient impairments affecting responses 4
• Detail how missing data will be handled, whether reverse scoring is needed for negatively phrased items, and how summary scores are calculated 4
• Provide interpretation guidelines: what low and high scores represent, and clinically meaningful differences 4

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Don't rely solely on cross-sectional data—longitudinal follow-up strengthens conclusions about changes over time 4
• Avoid low response variability by ensuring questions differentiate between excellence and areas needing improvement 3
• Include diverse populations, particularly those from rural areas and underrepresented groups, to ensure generalizability 4