ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK!

1. CLINICAL AUDIT ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK!

2. WHAT IS CLINICAL AUDIT? The systematic critical analysis of the quality of clinical care including the procedures used for diagnosis and treatment, the use of resources and the resulting outcome and quality of life for the patients.

3. CLINICAL AUDIT IS: • A way of improving the care of patients by using a multi-disciplinary approach, when appropriate, to look at what you are doing and see if you can do it better • A systematic, logical review of care • Patient focused

4. WHAT CLINICAL AUDIT IS NOT • Big brother • Threatening • A cost cutting exercise • Worthless and a waste of time

5. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AUDIT AND RESEARCH? Research is the search for new knowledge, that then tells us how practice should be done Audit informs us if we are doing what we should be doing!

6. AUDIT - WHY BOTHER? • Identifying problems in practice and through the audit cycle will mean that future patients/families should not suffer the same problem • Aiming staff time and resources at those practices that work rather than those that do not • Staff are able to monitor their work, review it and seek ways of improvement • Provides a systematic way of thinking about objectives and outcomes of care • Identifies areas where care is effective or not • Problems are considered in detail

7. WHY BOTHER continued • Important for education and training • Structured review allows analysis, comparison, and evaluation • Promotes adherence to policies • Offers opportunities to publish results • Education programmes can be tailored to local need

8. THE AUDIT CYCLE CHOOSE TOPIC RE-AUDIT HAS IT WORKED? SET STANDARD IMPLEMENT CHANGES COLLECT DATA ANALYSE & COMPARE WITH STANDARD

9. CHOOSING A TOPIC • High volume • High cost • High risk • Gut feeling • Interesting • Benefit the patient DON’T JUST AUDIT FOR THE SAKE OF IT INVOLVE ALL WHO NEED TO BE

10. SET STANDARD • A standard should have a specific criteria and a value • Criteria should be definable and be able to be measured • e.g. 100% of patients shall have a manual handling assessment within 12 hours of admission Should be realistic, evidence based where possible, practical and applicable to local circumstances

11. DATA COLLECTION • Collect only what is necessary for the audit • Use most suitable method • e.g. questionnaire, observation, information from medical notes, computer beware GIGO • Pilot first DON’T RE-INVENT THE WHEEL

12. IMPLEMENTING CHANGE • Involve all • Implement at a sensible rate • Action plan and don’t just jump in feet first • Implement only that needed • Don’t change for change’s sake

13. CONCLUSIONS • Use the audit cycle • Use the audit department • Keep it simple GOOD LUCK