About research, service evaluation and clinical audit
The NHS Direct Research and Clinical Audit Team is responsible for research, service evaluation and clinical audit across the organisation.
This includes both NHS Direct projects and those undertaken by others working in collaboration with us.
What do we mean by research, service evaluation and clinical audit?
Although the boundaries between research, service evaluation and clinical audit sometimes overlap, all require the rigorous and systematic application of methodology, data collection and analysis.
The following definitions may help to guide you:
Research
Research attempts to produce new knowledge about NHS Direct and the wider health community. Results of the research, or the theories gained from the research, should apply beyond the sample of the population upon which the research is based.
Example: what is the role of NHS Direct in the management of long-term conditions?
Service evaluation
Service evaluation is a way to define or measure current practice within NHS Direct. The results of the service evaluation help produce internal recommendations for improvements that are not intended to be generalised beyond the setting in which the evaluation took place.
Service evaluation is designed to answer the question: what standard does this service achieve?
Example: evaluation of instant web chat for emergency contraception.
Clinical audit
Clinical audit is a way to understand whether NHS Direct is following defined standards of best practice.
The results of clinical audit help enforce good clinical practice and produce internal recommendations for any necessary improvements.
Clinical audit is designed to answer the question: Does this service reach a predetermined standard?
Example: does NHS Direct meet defined standards for dental calls?
