Quality Improvement Projects and Clinical Research Studies

Hypothesis Generation in Quality Improvement Projects: Approaches for Exploratory Studies

In quality improvement projects—such as Six Sigma projects—an exploratory phase can be discerned, during which possible causes, influence factors or variation sources are identified. In a subsequent confirmatory phase the effects of these possible causes are experimentally verified. Whereas the confirmatory phase is well understood, in both the statistical sciences and philosophy of science, th...

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT RESEARCH Methods for evaluation of small scale quality improvement projects

Evaluation is an integral component of quality improvement and there is much to be learned from the evaluation of small scale quality improvement initiatives at a local level. This type of evaluation is useful for a number of different reasons including monitoring the impact of local projects, identifying and dealing with issues as they arise within a project, comparing local projects to draw l...

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT RESEARCH Research designs for studies evaluating the effectiveness of change and improvement strategies

The methods of evaluating change and improvement strategies are not well described. The design and conduct of a range of experimental and non-experimental quantitative designs are considered. Such study designs should usually be used in a context where they build on appropriate theoretical, qualitative and modelling work, particularly in the development of appropriate interventions. A range of ...

How quality improvement projects influence organizational culture.

Research, audit and quality improvement.

PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to clarify the distinction between research and audit, and propose appropriate regulatory arrangements for audit and related activities. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The methods used were literature reviews and conceptual analysis. FINDINGS Research and audit overlap in various ways, but differ in terms of their purposes and the risks likely to be encou...