The relationship between evaluative research and audit

Evaluative research and audit are distinct activities with different goals. However, they are interrelated in four ways: research provides a basis for defining good-quality care for audit purposes; audit can provide high-quality data for nonexperimental evaluative research; research into the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of audit is needed to establish the value of different interventions; and, in common with other research areas, evaluative research needs to be audited to ensure high-quality work is performed. Recognition of the unique and interrelated roles of research and audit will be of benefit to both endeavours.