Do you need ethical approval for a service evaluation?

Do you need ethical approval for a service evaluation?

Service Evaluations do not usually need ethical review.

What is service evaluation in the NHS?

Service evaluation seeks to assess how well a service is achieving its intended aims. It is undertaken to benefit the people using a particular healthcare service and is designed and conducted with the sole purpose of defining or judging the current service.

How do you conduct a service evaluation NHS?

Here are our top tips on how to plan for and carry out an evaluation:

1. Involve all key stakeholders and ensure appropriate patient and public involvement.
2. Identify the purpose of the evaluation and set clear aims and objectives.
3. Understand the evidence base and how the service was designed to achieve its desired outcomes.

What is the difference between audit and service evaluation?

A well-used distinction is the following: Research is designed and conducted to generate new knowledge. Service evaluations are designed to answer the question “What standard does this service achieve?”. Audits are designed to find out whether the quality of a service meets a defined standard.

Do I need NHS approval?

Any study that involves access to past or present medical records of NHS patients, service users, care professionals or volunteers, or data, tissue or NHS facilities, may require ethical approval. Research projects must not start until this approval has been secured from an NHS Research Ethics Committee.

Do clinical audits need ethical approval?

Clinical audit by definition does not involve anything being done to patients beyond their normal clinical management and therefore does not require formal ethical approval. It aims to improve patient care through systematic review of care against explicit criteria and the implementation of change.

What is a health service evaluation?

Health care evaluation is the critical assessment, through rigorous processes, of an aspect of healthcare to assess whether it fulfils its objectives. Aspects of healthcare which can be assessed include: Effectiveness – the benefits of healthcare measured by improvements in health.

Who should carry out evaluation?

Evaluations can be conducted by a range of different actors including: external contractors; internal staff; those involved in delivering services; by peers; by the community; and by a combined group. Therefore it is important to make decisions about who is best to conduct the evaluation.

Can a service evaluation be qualitative?

Qualitative research – usually has clear aims and objectives but may not establish the exact questions to be asked until research is underway. Measures current service without reference to a standard. Measures against a standard. Systematic, quantitative or qualitative methods may be used.

Why is service evaluation important in healthcare?

Evaluation is an essential part of quality improvement and when done well it can help solve problems, inform decision making and build knowledge. While evaluation comes in many shapes and sizes, its key purpose is to help us to develop a deeper understanding of how best to improve health care.