Quality Assurance (QA) is an activity where the primary purpose is to monitor or improve the quality of service delivered by an individual or organisation and includes terms such as ‘quality assurance’, ‘quality improvement’, ‘quality activities’, ‘clinical audit’ and ‘audit’.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has published Ethical Considerations in Quality Assurance and Evaluation Activities (NHMRC; 2014) to facilitate oversight of Quality Assurance activities for individuals and organisations conducting quality assurance activities who are responsible for ensuring that:
- participants are afforded appropriate protections and respect
- QA activities comply with all relevant legislation and regulations
- organisations provide guidance and oversight to ensure activities are conducted ethically including a pathway to address concerns
At the Eye and Ear, staff are encouraged to undertake QA activities.
What is the difference between research and quality assurance activities?
The answer is not simple and does require consideration and judgement.
We have summarised the key points – Research and Quality Assurance activities – comparison and examples.
Authorisation requirements
Staff are required to seek approval from the Head of Unit / Clinic / Department prior to undertaking any QA activity (please note: there is no formal application process so please discuss with your Head of Unit / Clinic / Department).
The Research Office provides a review procedure to facilitate QA activities (and clinical audit) and may issue a letter of institutional endorsement to provide to journal editors to facilitate publication.
If you would like your project reviewed and / or considering publication and require a letter of endorsement then please submit the Quality Assurance Activity Application Form to the Research Office by email for review.
The Clinical Improvement and Risk and Quality teams initiate and support quality improvement activities to improve models of care, patient safety programs and compliance with accreditation standards.