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⚛️  Research, Audit & QI

⚛️  Research, Audit & QI

This section of your portfolio is where you should record your involvement in unpublished or ongoing research, audit, and quality improvement projects.

What is the difference between research, audit, and quality improvement?

🧪  Research involves using the scientific method to test a hypothesis, implement a change, gather and analyse data, and make a conclusion.

📈  Audit involves collecting data to measure current performance against a standard, and making suggestions on how to close the gap between the two.

📊  Quality improvement involves looking at systems that affect patient outcomes, and making and measuring the impact of incremental changes on a system.

What counts as evidence?

If it is ongoing, you may not have much to include here, but try and keep a record of your project application, any project materials, and write-ups here. Ensure that any documents you have maintain patient confidentiality.

Evidence of your participation in research, audit, or quality improvement may be:

  • The project proposal to the Audit, Quality Improvement and Research Departments
  • Data collection model or questionnaires used.
  • Presentation certificate (to local or regional teams) or the PowerPoint presentation used.
  • A letter of acknowledgment of your research, audit, or QI activity from your Trust’s board of directors.
  • A reflection about the importance of the study you participated in and an outline of your study goals.

If your work gets presented at a conference or published in a medical journal, you should move it to the section for publications and presentations, as you may find that these give you points toward future applications.

How should this section of my portfolio be structured?

You should order this section by type (research, audit, QI) and then fill them in reverse chronological order (most recent first).

Do I need to participate in research, audit, and QI?

Participation in QI is part of your ARCP, ongoing appraisals, and revalidation. QI activity shows that you are actively engaged with improving your workplace, and the NHS as a whole. The GMC states that you must be able to show some participation in quality improvement that is relevant to your practice at each appraisal.

QI activity can mean participating in an ongoing project or leading a new one. You can be involved with any part of the process, from designing the project structure, implementing the QI changes, collecting data, analyzing data, or presenting the findings.

GMC guidance for examples of QI activities

Here are examples of what you could do:

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