We all probably use the word “quality” several times a day. Using expressions such as “With high quality”, “providing the highest quality”, we are giving the message we are professionals with skills and knowledge in what we are doing.
So what is quality? Well, the simple answer is “it depends”. Quality can be very subjective, as in quality of life. What to one person is good quality of life may be perceived as poor quality of life to another.
More scientifically, it depends on the area of interest.
As an example, in thermodynamics, the quality of a fluid is the percentage of mass that is vapor; i.e. saturated vapor has a “quality” of 100%, and saturated liquid has a “quality” of 0%.
In music theory, quality is the number of harmonics of a fundamental frequency of an instrument (the higher the quality, the richer the sound).
The quality of clinical data can be defined as the reflection of a subject’s true health status at a given point in time. In order to ensure that the data that are included in the study report are of “highest quality”, it is common practice to apply a number of quality check steps from data collection to study report. However, the chain is only as good as its weakest link. The motto for anyone involved in clinical trials must be Get It Right First Time! This is achieved by implementing robust processes at the beginning of the data flow to ensure a smooth running of the study with little or no opportunities to go wrong.
In clinical trials, all the instruments need to be playing to the same tune in order to achieve a rich sound. At Richmond, all the instruments are playing in perfect harmony – challenge us!
Tags: quality data management