title: An audit about clinical governance skills in Italian medical managers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study is to describe the knowledge and skills of managers working in health organizations in the Region of Puglia (South of Italy) on the principles and tools of clinical governance.
  
  
  METHODS
  A KAP (Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice) survey was conducted using a questionnaire. The target population of the survey was represented by Hospital Directors and Managers of local health care structures (Primary Care Districts, Public Health Departments, and Mental Health Departments).
  
  
  RESULTS
  92 managers participated at the study (response rate was 90.2%). 98.9% of respondents reported being aware of the concept of clinical governance and believe that clinical governance is an appropriate strategy for the continuous improvement in quality of services. 96.7% of respondents had heard of Evidence Based Practice and 80.6% reported using the method of EBP in nursing practice. The availability of guidelines for consultation was reported by 54.9% of respondents. Of those interviewed, 79.8% knew about Health Technology Assessment. 95.5% reported they have heard of clinical audit and 98.9% knowing the concept of risk management.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our survey, an high value judgment about clinical governance was reported by medical managers. The lower attitudes towards the use of the tools of clinical governance highlights an important discrepancy with respect to knowledge and opinions, which becomes more evident in community care structures. Above and beyond training managers, it is also necessary to change training methods used on all health personnel, which should be oriented towards EBM in order to build an adaptable organizational climate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy. silvio.tafuri@uniba.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tafuri
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Vece
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prato
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Germinario
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D054869:Clinical Audit; D054976:Clinical Governance; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006270:Health Facility Administrators / Q000523:psychology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006740:Hospital Administrators / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008330:Management Audit; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011361:Professional Competence; D011635:Public Health Administration; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012308:Risk Management; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical