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Innovation & Research Centre - Research, Knowledge Translation and Implementation Guide: Research

Outlines the steps of evidence-based practice. Looks at how to find, evaluate and implement research to ensure best-quality care is provided.

Quality Improvement or Research?

Both research and quality improvement are systematic investigations that may involve human participants, but they differ in important ways. 

  • QI is closely related to clinical practice, and in fact, much of QI is simply good clinical care combined with systematic, experiential learning.
  • Research is designed to develop new knowledge, not to implement existing knowledge, whereas QI involves deliberate applications in local settings of good quality knowledge/evidence developed elsewhere.

It is important to understand the distinction between the two as it has an impact on the types of internal or external approvals required before the project/study progresses. All research projects and some QI projects will need to be submitted for ethical review. This is required to ensure that the risks to participants are not greater than minimal and that there are appropriate protections for individual's privacy and confidentiality of their identifiable data.

Electronic Books

Print Books (available from QH Libraries)

Helpful Resources

Internal

A wide range of information, education and training sessions on QI and research are available to all staff within Metro North Hospital and Health Service:

External:

Two resources that can help to clarify the difference between the two are:

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