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Clinical audit in hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

D. A. Heath
D. A. Heath
Affiliation:
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham
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Synopsis

Audit within general medicine originated from a review of patient clinical records. The main effect of such activities was to lead to an improvement of documentation and a realisation that audit could be performed amicably. Once case note reviews had been established it was usually necessary to progress to specific topic review. Such audits required more input of doctors' time, and to be performed properly needed the support of committed audit staff and limited support from computer technology.

The primary aim of medical audit is to improve clinical care. Although an important component it is not the primary purpose of audit to save money.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 101: Quality Assurance in Medical Care , 1993 , pp. 115 - 121
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1993

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References

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Other helpful references

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