Quality Improvement

Quality Improvement projects

If you are conducting a quality improvement (QI) project at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) or University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), you are required to complete the QI Survey. As part of the submission, you must upload a protocol or study plan.

QI Survey REB Review Process

The REB Chair and/or Vice-Chair are automatically notified when a QI survey is submitted. You will receive an automatic email following their review, indicating whether your project has been classified as research requiring a Research Ethics Board (REB) application, or if your project has been classified as a Quality Improvement (QI) initiative.

Important:

If your responses in the QI Survey indicate that the project qualifies as QI, you will have the option to complete the survey, save the form, and choose not to submit it to the REB for review. Please be aware that if you select this option, you will not receive an REB exemption letter for your QI project.

Please Note:

The REB can only review and provide exemption letters prior to the start of the project. The REB cannot conduct a review or issue an exemption letter after the project has begun.

Registration with the Institution’s Quality Improvement Office:

All QI projects must be registered with the respective institution’s Quality Improvement Office.

• For QI projects occurring at TOH, please complete the TOH QI Registration Form.
  • You may contact the TOH Quality Office for more information at quality@toh.ca if you have any further questions.
• For QI projects occurring at the UOHI, register the project with the UOHI Quality Office at quality@ottawaheart.ca.

Contact the REB Office

You may request a huddle meeting with the Chair or Vice-Chair of the REB to discuss your QI project. Please contact the REB general email box at REBAdministration@ohri.ca to schedule a virtual MS Teams meeting.

For more information regarding QI projects, please visit the REB section of IRISGuide.