How to report a research study

The Science of Quality Improvement

Scientific rigor should be consistently applied to quality improvement (QI) research to ensure that healthcare interventions improve quality and patient safety before widespread implementation. This article provides an overview of the various study designs that can be used for QI research depending on the stage of investigation, scope of the QI intervention, constraints on the researchers and intervention being studied, and evidence needed to support widespread implementation. The most commonly used designs in QI studies are quasi-experimental designs. Randomized controlled trials and cluster randomized trials are typically reserved for large-scale research projects evaluating the effectiveness of QI interventions that may be implemented broadly, have more than a minimal impact on patients, or are costly. Systematic reviews of QI studies will play an important role in providing overviews of evidence supporting particular QI interventions or methods of achieving change. We also review the general requirements for developing quality measures for reimbursement, public reporting, and pay-for-performance initiatives. A critical part of the testing process for quality measures includes assessment of feasibility, reliability, validity, and unintended consequences. Finally, publication and critical appraisal of QI work is discussed as an essential component to generating evidence supporting QI initiatives in radiology.

Review of Research Reporting Guidelines for Radiology Researchers

Prior articles have reviewed reporting guidelines and study evaluation tools for clinical research. However, only some of the many available accepted reporting guidelines at the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research Network have been discussed in previous reports. In this paper, we review the key Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research reporting guidelines that have not been previously discussed. The study types include diagnostic and prognostic studies, reliability and agreement studies, observational studies, analytical and descriptive, experimental studies, quality improvement studies, qualitative research, health informatics, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, economic evaluations, and mixed methods studies. There are also sections on study protocols, and statistical analyses and methods. In each section, there is a brief overview of the study type, and then the reporting guideline(s) that are most applicable to radiology researchers including radiologists involved in health services research are discussed.