Assignment:
1. Background information
a. What is the name of the organization or program?
1) Orange Grove Manor
b. What is the geographic location?
1) Florida
a) Population 19,317,568 (US Census Bureau, 2013).
b) 18.2% people over the age of 65 (US Census Bureau, 2013).
c. What is the organizational mission?
1) Orange Grove Manor strives to provide a safe and comfortable long-term care facility where people can receive care while promoting independence, socialization, and physical well-being. Our patient-centered, holistic-care approach provides emotional, physical and spiritual healing through a variety of activities. Our staff is expertly trained and has the passion to help meet our goal of improving the quality of life for our residents.
1. Importance of Conducting Market Research
A. The market research helps the facility's management to understand the distinct needs of the target population
B. Better understanding of patient needs leads to better dispensation of long-term care (Berkowitz, 2011).
C. Market research provides useful metrics that concerned stakeholders will use for planning purposes. The metrics will help in
identification of:
i. Required health equipment
ii. Necessary infrastructure for the long term care facility
iii. Cost analysis to determine long-term feasibility of the facility
D. Market research will help to identify potential competitors or other long-term care delivery facilities in the target market as well as their service offerings (Berkowitz, 2011)
E. Conducting thorough market research is essential for promoting evidence-based decision-making that can lead to better health outcomes.
F. Understanding the wider emotional and social contexts surrounding the long-term conditions (Luck & Pocock, 2013)
G. Market research increases engagement with patients and helps the organization to understand patient responses to treatments and diseases.
2. Both primary and secondary data will be crucial in conducting the market research because of their various advantages and supplementary roles.
A. Primary data
i. Will involve gathering data from patients who are in need of long-term care and from caregivers
ii. Analyzing responses from the patients leads to better understanding of their unique needs (Berkowitz, 2011)
iii. Data gathered from the questionnaires and interviews are good for comparison purposes to come up with the best modes of intervention
iv. Primary data is more objective, authentic and reliable (Luck & Pocock, 2013)
v. Firsthand information from primary data is more representative of target population
B. Secondary data
i. Gained from already existing research and data in the marketplace
ii. Published sources and books on long-term care can give valuable insights on the trends in the industry such as emergent technologies and alternative interventions on long-term care (Berkowitz, 2011)
iii. Saves time and money in the collection of required information
iv. Government and institutional publications often give extensive coverage on the topics related to long-term care (Luck & Pocock, 2013)
v. Basis for evaluating the effectiveness of primary research
Using both primary and secondary data presents the opportunity for understanding the needs of target populations and the industry as a whole, which can promote better delivery of long-term care.
References
Berkowitz, E. N. (2011). Essentials of health care marketing (3 ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Luck, M., & Pocock, R. (2013). Market Research in Health and Social Care. Boston, MA: Routledge.
US Census Bureau. (2013). Florida Quick Facts. Retrieved from https://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12000.html