It should not be confrontational or judgmental-it is not an opportunity to name, shame, and blame. The outcome of care-for example, blood pressure reduction in response to therapy.Īudit should also be transparent. The process of care-for example, waiting times in clinics
The structure of care-for example, resources such as the presence of a dedicated stroke unit Clinical governance is often defined as how NHS organisations are accountable for continually improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care. Unlike research (which asks the question, “what is the right thing to do?”), clinical audit asks, “are we doing the right thing in the right way?” 1Ĭlinical audit forms part of clinical governance, which aims to ensure that patients receive the best quality of care. Audit measures practice against standards. In the United Kingdom, doctors in the first two years after graduation are asked to perform an audit. Repeat the audit to find out whether improvements in care have been implemented after the first audit Use action plans to overcome the local barriers to change and identify those responsible for service improvement The audit cycle involves five stages: preparing for audit selecting criteria measuring performance level making improvements sustaining improvementsĬhoose audit topics based on high risk, high volume, or high cost problems, or on national clinical audits, national service frameworks, or guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellenceĭerive standards from good quality guidelines Audit measures practice against performance