What is the Difference Between Audit and Research?

The main differences between audit and research are their purposes, methodologies, and the type of knowledge they generate. Here are the key distinctions between the two:

1. Purpose:

• Research is designed and conducted to generate new knowledge, evaluate new treatments, or contribute to a body of knowledge by asking what should be done.
• Audit is designed to find out whether the quality of a service meets a defined standard, and it involves a rigorous approach to methodology in terms of design, procedure, analysis, and interpretation of data.

1. Methodology:

• Research may involve experiments on human subjects, random allocation of patients to different treatment groups, and application of novel treatments.
• Audit, on the other hand, never involves experiments, allocating patients to different treatment groups, or introducing new treatments.

1. Type of Knowledge:

• Research generates generalizable knowledge about what works and what is best, often involving the application of measures against a theoretical foundation.
• Audit provides results applicable within local settings only, aiming to identify opportunities for improvement in medical care and determine whether current best practices are being followed.

1. Ethics Committee Approval:

• Research involving NHS staff, patients, their tissue or data, or facilities and equipment requires ethics committee approval.
• Clinical audit rarely requires ethics approval, as it focuses on evaluating existing practices rather than introducing new ones.

In summary, research is primarily concerned with generating new knowledge and evaluating new treatments, while audit focuses on assessing whether a service meets a defined standard and identifying opportunities for improvement within local settings.

Comparative Table: Audit vs Research

Here is a table that highlights the differences between audit and research:

Both audit and research involve answering questions about the quality of care or service, sampling, data collection, and analysis of findings. However, they differ in their purposes, focus, scale, and whether they require ethical approval.