Eight years’ experience of regional audit: an assessment of its value as a clinical governance tool

Abstract

-Strengthening clinical audit is crucial for improving the quality of healthcare provision. The West Midlands Rheumatology Service and Training Committee coordinates an innovative programme of regional audits and the experience of rheumatology healthcare professionals involved was surveyed. This was a questionnairebased study in which respondents rated statements relating to regional audit on Likert scales. Out of 105 staff, 70 replied. There was consensus that results of regional audit have been robust, valid and reliable; regional audits benefit patients and units; provide educational opportunities for specialist registrars (SpRs); and are more efficient than local audit by allowing comparison between units. Opinion was divided about how well informed respondents were and how effective they are at closing the audit loop. Many units reported changes in practice. Regional audit is widely perceived to be a valuable clinical governance tool supporting significant changes to clinical practice, and an excellent training opportunity for SpRs. Recommendations for a successful regional audit scheme are described in this article.

How is feedback from national clinical audits used? Views from English National Health Service trust audit leads

“…The study questionnaire was developed based on previous research on audit and feedback. 2,7,[15][16][17][18][19] It focused on views on the content of the audit feedback; and the purpose, impact and barriers to using the feedback. Items were presented as five-point Likert scales, with 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree', and 'very important' to 'of little importance', including a 'not applicable' where appropriate.…”