Monitoring of quality of care has always been an important part of health care. Self-regulation and external standards require care providers to furnish safe environments for the patient. Similarities in methods used by quality improvement (QI) projects and clinical research have created some confusion in differentiating the two practices. This article reviews the current literature and differences between QI and research. In addition, the article identifies and discusses four criteria: intervention, risk, audience, and data source, which allow investigators to differentiate between the two practices and follow the appropriate procedures for project review.
Changes in healthcare today have called for leadership styles that place a heavy demand on organizations. Shifts in markets and reimbursement strategies call for new leaders with vision that can guide healthcare organizations to change. In a postmodern era, organizations see the transformational leader as a valuable asset in changing times. This article addresses the foundations of the transformational leader metanarrative and, through a postmodern discourse, deconstructs the concept. The article presents a review of postmodern thought in relation to the metanarrative of leadership and applications to nursing administration.
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