A Multicenter UK Study on Trainee Involvement in Clinical Audit: Is it an
Effective Contribution to Service Quality Improvement
or a Portfolio Generating Activity?
From the possible first ever clinical audits, undertaken by Florence
Nightingale during the Crimean war of 1853-1855, to the Codman’s
“end result idea” in 1912 on monitoring surgical outcomes audit
has come a long way and is now widely accepted as a quality improvement
process and practiced within the National Health Service.
Department of Health’s White Paper `Working for Patients’ laid down
the plans for the need and the planning of the audit.
Evolution of audit in NHS in its present form, dates back to early 90`s and
the first meeting of DOH`s first Clinical Outcome Group
took place in 1992.
The aim was to give strategic direction to
the clinical rather than merely medical audit.
It was the first time when a multidisciplinary team approach
was adopted to improve clinical outcomes.
In 1993, medical audit became clinical, clinicians
across the board came together on a common platform to review
patient`s clinical outcome.
With further availability of resources and funding clinical
audit became an accepted norm across
the NHS trusts. Clinical audit is now an established part of the
NHS landscape and is at the core of a local monitoring system of
performance.
The NHS Plan further gave these policies impetus and
introduced proposals for mandatory participation by all doctors
in clinical audit and developments to support the involvement
of other staff, including nurses, midwives, therapists and other
NHS staff.
Gastro Open J. 2015; 1(5): 129-132. doi: 10.17140/GOJ-1-122
