title: An audit of audits: are we completing the cycle?
abstract: Clinical audit plays an important part in the drive to improve quality of patient care and thus forms a cornerstone of clinical governance. We evaluated the standard of clinical audits conducted by all departments in a teaching hospital between 1996 and 1997. Of a total of 213 audits carried out, 102 (48%) were 'partial' and only 29 (14%) were 'full'. Recommendations for improvement emerged from 134 (63%) of the audits performed. In only 51 audits (24%) was the cycle completed by re-auditing, during the subsequent 3 years. Most departments undertake clinical audits but failure to close the loop undermines their effectiveness and wastes resources.
authors.affiliation: St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, Blackshaw Road, London SW17 0QT, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gnanalingham
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Gnanalingham
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Gnanalingham
mesh_terms: D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000592:standards*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008485:Medical Audit / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D008511:Medicine / Q000592:standards; D013038:Specialization; D013043:Specialties, Surgical / Q000592:standards; D013222:State Medicine / Q000592:standards