Research at ACC

Find out about research at ACC and read about the unit that manages research and projects.

On this page

  1. Research unit
  2. Research funding and ethics
  3. Related legislation
  4. Contact details

Research unit

Research work is managed by the Research unit. The unit oversees a programme of work that informs ACC decision making, guides health purchasing and supports best practice among treatment providers. It is based at ACC’s corporate offices in Wellington.

The Research unit is responsible for commissioning and managing the research projects, service evaluations and market research that ACC funds. Its work includes:

  • Providing advice to ensure that ACC’s purchasing is based on good evidence.
  • Producing resources to support health professionals’ development and promote best practice in injury management and rehabilitation
  • Carrying out evaluations to assess the effectiveness of ACC’s programmes and policies.
  • Undertaking surveys to ensure that key stakeholders are satisfied with ACC’s services.
  • Piloting and testing new ideas to help ACC work more effectively.
  • Identifying new and emerging issues that might have an impact on ACC in the future – we call this process ‘horizon scanning’.

Evidence Based Healthcare

Advising ACC on the effectiveness and safety of healthcare interventions is a major part of the Research unit’s work. It uses rigorous and systematic methods based on those of the New Zealand Guidelines Group (external link) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (external link) to identify and evaluate existing international research and make recommendations to guide ACC purchasing decisions and promote evidence based practice.

The unit produces a range of evidence based healthcare reports for ACC including:

  • Evidence based reviews.
  • Purchasing guidance.
  • Clinical guidelines.

To access the evidence based healthcare reports see:

Evidence based healthcare (EBH) reports

ACC research strategy

The Research unit has developed a strategic plan that provides an overarching framework for research investment in order to future proof the ACC scheme.

For ACC’s full research strategy document see:

ACC Research and Development (R&D) Strategy (PDF53K)

Research funding and ethics

Funding

ACC’s research activities fall into three main categories depending on how they are funded.

  1. Commissioned research that is usually:
  • Carried out by external research providers.
  • Purchased through a competitive tender process. ACC posts its research tenders on the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) (external link) and providers are invited to submit proposals.
  1. Co-funded research projects of mutual interest to ACC and other funding organisations such as the Health Research Council (external link).
  2. Research carried out internally, e.g. evidence based healthcare reports.

Ethics

ACC meets ethical requirements when conducting research. We have a committee and a set of guidelines to ensure these requirements are met - see:

Research ethics

Related legislation

Accident Compensation Act 2001

Part7 Accident Compensation Corporation, Section263 Prevention of personal injury (external link)

Contact details

Please direct any enquiries about ACC research to:

research@acc.co.nz

Last updated: 17 January 2011