When does quality improvement count as research? Human subject protection and theories of knowledge

A multidisciplinary approach to reducing alarm fatigue and cost through appropriate use of cardiac telemetry

“…To establish good quality improvement outcomes, a counterbalance should be considered carefully when a project is in the design phase 25. We measured mortality in the PCU as a counterbalance for our intervention.…”

Primary Care Practice-Based Research Networks: Working at the Interface Between Research and Quality Improvement

“…Some other distinctions have been made between research and QI in the medical and nursing literature (Table 1). [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Academicians often approach research as if it were a goal. They speak about the importance of doing research as opposed to using research methods to answer a question or solve a problem to improve outcomes.…”

Identifying and implementing quality improvement measures in the intensive care unit

“…In the past, the distinction between quality improvement and research was made by the type of knowledge generated: research is designed to result in generalizable knowledge whereas quality improvement is designed to generate knowledge for specific practice settings. This reasoning may be flawed, however, as quality improvement frequently results in generalizable knowledge and many research results are of little use outside the setting in which they are performed [10]. An alternative paradigm, useful when considering whether to obtain ethical oversight, is whether or not the project will benefit the patients involved and whether it carries the potential for increased burden or harm [11].…”