Audit
What audit is
Put simply, a way of measuring the quality of healthcare provided by a service: performance is benchmarked against pre-set standards; changes where needed are then effected to provide care in keeping with that standard. Success in clinical audit is indicated by improvements in the quality of care for patients.
Clinical audit is defined as: 'a clinically-led activity intiative which seeks to improve the quality and outcome of patients care through structured peer review whereby clinicians examine their practices and results against agreed standards and modify their practices where indicated' (ref NHSE 1996, Clinical Audit in the NHS).
Clinical improvement projects database/ 'CLIP database'
The clinical improvement projects database or 'CLIP database' is a useful resource for health professionals undertaking clinical improvement projects such as audit. The database contains details of projects which are ongoing or have been completed and contains contact details for those leading the projects. Users are able to enter projects or search the database to ascertain if a project they have been planning has already been done or is ongoing. The database is held on the eGuidelines website and includes projects from a wide range of health professions: visit the eguidelines website.
National Falls Audit
The key aims of the project were:- to pioneer a model of collaborative working between professional bodies, clinicians, NHS trusts and consumers which will act as a landmark for future clinical audit
- through the entire audit process, to encourage the more widespread adoption and implementation of the Guideline for the Collaborative, Rehabilitative Management of Elderly People who have Fallen, in order to increase compliance
- To establish a national system of audit to enable participants to collaboratively measure the extent to which the implementation of the guideline has taken place.
