Study Guide – Clinical Audit

Stage 4 - Compare results with standards

The comparison is the easy bit.

 

→ Examples:

Criteria	Standards	Results
All patients should be seen within 15 minutes of their appointment time	Minimum 70%	45%
All diabetics to have had HbA1C in last 3 months	Minimum 95%	90%
Drug allergies to be marked as “active problem” on computer	Minimum 100%	95%

 

Before you start planning changes, you need to work out possible reasons why the practice hasn’t met the standard you’ve set.

 

    Think: What reasons are there for practices not meeting audit standards?

 

In recent audits at our practice, reasons have included:

• Practice reasons:

·         - Results having been put down as free text on computer, rather than coded;

·         - Opportunistic rather than formal recall system in use;

• Doctor reasons:

·         - Not all GPs were aware of the practice policy;

·         - Not all partners agreed with the policy;

• Patient reasons:

·         - Patients refusing to have tests done;

·         - Patients on holiday when tests due.

 

---

 

Next page: Implementing change

 

Back to: "Audit Contents" page

Last update: 16 February 2007