How Audit - Overview
Clinical audit is a fundamental part of improving patient care. It involves reviewing current practice against agreed standards to identify areas for improvement, implement change, and measure the impact of those changes.
Make sure you check out the GCP (Good Clinical Practice) Training Scheme..this is a series of lecture to develop your audit and research skills.
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Select an area of clinical practice where there is scope for improvement, variation in care, or a need to ensure compliance with national or local guidelines.
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Refer to evidence-based guidelines (such as those from NICE, SIGN, or local trust policies) to define measurable criteria. The standard you are auditing should be clear and relevant to your setting.
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Set out your audit question, patient group, inclusion/exclusion criteria, data points to be collected, and timeframe. Decide how many cases you will review or what time period you will collect the data.
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Gather data from reliable sources such as electronic health records, paper notes, or departmental databases.
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Compare your results against the agreed standards. Highlight areas of good practice and identify where care falls short. Use appropriate charts or graphs to present your findings clearly.
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Present your audit in the relevant departmental, governance, or clinical effectiveness meeting. Make your recommendations specific and practical, focusing on how improvements can be made.
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Work with colleagues to develop an action plan. This might include updating protocols, delivering training sessions, or adjusting workflows.
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Schedule a repeat audit to assess whether the changes have led to improved compliance. This second cycle is essential for demonstrating meaningful quality improvement.
Overview of process…
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GCP (Good Clinical Practice) Training
What it is:
GCP is an internationally recognised standard for conducting clinical research ethically and with high scientific quality. The NIHR GCP course ensures you understand:
Informed consent
Data confidentiality
Protocol adherence
Participant safety
Regulatory standards (e.g., MHRA, ICH)
How it's relevant to audit/research:
Essential for clinical trials: If you're supporting any interventional or observational research, ethics-approved QI projects, or clinical trials, GCP training is often mandatory.
Adds credibility: Including GCP certification in your portfolio signals that you're trained to work on regulated, high-quality studies.
Reflection point: You can mention completing the GCP course as part of your learning objectives in your PDP or in reflections on research involvement.
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The leading body in the UK supporting clinical audit. Offers free guides, case examples, and templates.
Link: https://www.hqip.org.ukKey resources:
“Guide to Clinical Audit”
“Clinical Audit: A Guide for NHS Boards and Partners”
Audit templates and re-audit guidance
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NICE provides audit tools linked to many of its clinical guidelines.
Link: https://www.nice.org.uk/audits
Sign posting resources…