What is Clinical Audit?

Definition

“Clinical audit is a quality improvement process that seeks to improve patient care and outcomes through systematic review of care against explicit criteria and the implementation of change”.

Aspect of the structure, processes, and outcome of care are selected and systematically evaluated against explicit criteria.  Where indicated, changes are implemented at an individual, team, or service level and further monitoring is used to confirm improvement in healthcare delivery.” (National Institute for Clinical Excellence  (NICE))

Clinical Audit been identified as a key component of Clinical Governance for improving the quality of care for patients, so what is are the elements which make up Clinical Audit?

• Clinical Audit is a process of measuring current practice against agreed standards to improve patient care.
• It enables health care professionals the dissemination of good practice.
• Is an educational tool.
• Clinical Audit should demonstrate your practice is evidence based.
• Provides personal satisfaction.
• It improves team work as it is undertaken by multi-professional health care teams
• It develops a culture of continuing evaluation and improvement.
• It disseminates good practice using either nationally or locally established guidelines.
• It provides useful information and resources for overall policy development.
• NHS requirement and a direct link with Clinical Governance ensuring Clinical Health Improvements.
• Specific to the National Service Framework.