It is the aim of the Office for Research to encourage and facilitate the approval and conduct of QA projects. QA projects are essentially an evaluation or monitoring of a current service or practice with the aim of improving that service or practice. They may also be audits to identify and/or quantify the extent of a problem, practice or behaviour to gain knowledge that may then be used to improve a service or practice. Projects that seek to gain knowledge from monitoring and evaluating the introduction of a new practice/procedure may also fit the criteria of quality assurance.
FORMS:
| QA Application form | QA_form_Internet_V3_Sep2011.doc (73KB) |
| QA PICF (if applicable) | WH_QA_PICF_internet_version_Sep2011.doc (29KB) |
| Statment of Approval form | statementofapprovalJuly2010.doc |
APPLICATION FOR QA PROJECT APPROVAL
To meet the standard required of QA at Western Health, applications for approval of QA projects must contain information as follows:
1. A protocol or outline of the project.This outline should clearly state
- Relevant background information
- The aims of the project
- The problem, procedure, or practice being assessed
- An outline of the likely benefits of conducting the QA project
- A literature review (where applicable)
- The method you will use to obtain data
- Who, if any, the participants will be and how they will be recruited e.g. patients, carers, staff
- If consent will be sought and how
- How information will be given to participants (where applicable)
- The nature of information to be collected, how it will be stored and destroyed
- If a permanent database of information will be created that may subsequently be used in further QA projects
- If access to information that already exists within the organisation will occur. Eg. Medical records, homer, Test results
- How the data will be assessed and results validated. Quality assurance Projects should utilise valid methodology and tools
2. Evidence of support from your Department Manager and the Managers of any other department that will be involved in the research.
3.This can be in the form of an email from the appropriate individuals.
4. Evidence of support from any external organisation that is involved in the research.
5. Declaration of any financial benefit/loss that the Department will obtain for undertaking the research.
6. A copy of the patient information and consent form or patient information sheet, if one is going to be used.
7. A copy of any letters, transcripts of telephone calls surveys etc. that will be used in the project.
8. A copy of the data collection forms.
9. If the project is sponsored and it involves accessing medical records, please submit a Health Information Service QA Approval Form, signed by the Manager, Health Information Services. Sara Russell, sara.russell@wh.org.au (83456365)
Approval of the project cannot occur until this form is received.
To apply for approval of a QA project, complete the QA Module and send all required documents, via email to ethics@wh.org.au
Notification of receipt of the project will be sent to you via email.
Your project will be given a unique identifying number, which should be used on all further correspondence.
Approval will be sent to you via email, within two weeks of receipt of a complete application.
ONGOING MANAGEMENT OF QA PROJECTS
Investigators should inform the Office for Research of when they commence and complete the project via email to ethics@wh.org.au
A final report should be sent to the Office for Research upon completion of the project.
The Office for Research will audit all open QA projects annually