Quality Assurance Activities / Projects

All Quality Assurance Projects (QA) that involve humans, or their information or tissue must be submitted to the Office for Research for review.  The review will assess whether the project is QA that does or does not require independent ethical review and that it meets the requirements of all applicable legislation and codes of practice. 

Projects that are assessed as requiring ethical review must be forwarded to the appropriate Research and Ethics Committee (i.e. MH Human Research Ethics Committee, Mental Health Research and Ethics Committee, Institutional Biosafety Committee) through the normal review system. Projects that are deemed to not require ethical review will be approved as QA projects.

Is my project quality assurance?

It is difficult to separate QA from research.  For the purposes of simplicity you should answer the following questions about your project:

1. Is this project undertaken for a valid purpose and does it aim to use the outcomes to improve delivery of health care?
    
2. Does this project seek to identify and or quantify problems within, or impediments to, good health care delivery and to identify ways of improving those problems?
    
3. Does this project seek to evaluate current health practices or to monitor the introduction of a new practice?
    
4. Could this project infringe on ethical principles that guide human research?

• If you answer yes to questions 1 to 3 your project may fit the definition of a low risk QA project. 
   
• If you answered yes to question 4 your project may fit the definition of a high risk QA project and may warrant ethical review. Such projects should be submitted by the Melbourne Health Human Research Ethics Committee or the Mental Health Research and Ethics Committee as appropriate.

To apply to the Office for Research for review of your project as a Quality Assurance Project that does not require ethical review, read the document, Quality Assurance Projects Approval Process and Management and complete the Quality Assurance module.  All documentation should be sent by email to Angela.Gray@mh.org.au.

For further information contact: Angela Gray, Assistant Manager, Office for Research at: Angela.Gray@mh.org.au or telephone (03) 9342 3006.

PLEASE NOTE - QA PROJECT submissions are CLOSED for 2011 - The Office for Research will recommence acceptance of QA Projects in February 2012

Forms:

• Quality Assurance Project Approval Process and Management
• QA Module
• QA Participant Information Sheet Template
• QA Participant Information and Consent Form
• Health Information Services Approval Form - must be completed for all QA projects requiring access to Medical Records

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