Monitoring the Quality of Clinical Inquiry Projects

Nurses participating in unit-based research or quality-improvement projects are not traditionally trained as research coordinators. Although they may be experienced in collecting data as a usual part of patient care responsibilities, nurses typically are not responsible for managing data in an electronic database or formally monitoring the quality of data that are collected. Nurses also may have limited exposure to and experience with federal regulations surrounding the collection of data from human subjects, including patients, family members, or community participants. Such federal regulations are implemented in the clinical setting through the governance of the institutional review board. When these data are used for quality improvement or research, they take on new meaning. Unintentional disclosure of patient identification is an example of misuse of data that carries with it both legal and ethical implications. One way to educate nurses about regulations that govern the...