Clinical nursing research and quality assurance: integration for improved patient care

Understanding how nursing quality assurance and research programs are similar, yet different, is the first step towards enabling nurse managers to integrate the two programs. Blending research findings and research methods into the quality assurance process is one method of accomplishing integration. Other strategies include setting standards for nursing research and including instruments with known validity and reliability in patient care planning and patient assessment. Improving the scientific basis of nursing practice and the quality of patient care are viable outcomes.