Patient experience in healthcare has long been recognised in the UK and internationally as a crucial benchmark for assessing quality of care in healthcare settings. It is increasingly becoming part of a nurse’s role to conduct, analyse and present the findings of patient experience audits and research projects, and to implement changes to services based on the data collected. To undertake these audits and projects effectively, nurses require knowledge of how to use various data collection methods and research tools, determine their validity and reliability, and minimise bias. This article provides information about these areas, with the aim of assisting nurses in designing and implementing patient experience audits and research projects in their clinical area, which can subsequently be used to improve patient care and services.