Medical audit--comparison of outcome among patients treated by different teams of physicians in a single hospital.
Routinely stored hospital activity analysis data was analysed retrospectively to compare the outcome of medical treatment delivered to 11,224 inpatients by different teams of physicians in a single hospital. Interpretation of the data was difficult because of suspected inaccuracies in hospital activity analysis, and because of the effect of the handover of known old patients between the teams of doctors. If these problems can be overcome the method could be used widely to provide a quantitative means of medical audit.
D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit / Q000379:methods*; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D009026:Mortality; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards*