Science of Improvement Versus Science of Implementation: Integrating Both Into Clinical Inquiry

Types of projects suitable for clinical inquiry run the gamut from improvement science (quality improvement [QI], continuous QI, or process improvement) to research, with its many forms and designs, to implementation science (the study of how and how well we adopt existing evidence in practice settings).¹  Any of these projects can be used for evidence-based practice (EBP), which involves not only consideration of existing evidence (research), but also consideration of patient-specific characteristics, situations, and preferences.² 

This issue’s Clinical Inquiry column provides investigators with tools to make clinical inquiry in the practice setting more feasible and attainable. These tools include clarifying terminology and providing insights into how to distinguish which type of project is best suited to the clinical question at hand. Because all clinical inquiry evolves or derives from patient care encounters, we strive to provide tools that simplify and clarify the pursuit of better, more evidence-based, higher...