Types of audit
NB: this is not an exhaustive list.
Significant event audit
Also known as adverse occurrence screening and critical incident monitoring, a significant event audit is used to peer review cases which have caused concern or produced unexpected outcomes. Multidisciplinary teams discuss individual (anonymous) cases to reflect on how the team functioned and to learn.
Peer review
Individual cases are discussed by peers to determine whether the best care was given. Similar to the above, but might cover ‘interesting’ or ‘unusual’ cases rather than problematic ones.
Patient surveys and focus groups
Used to obtain users’ views about the quality of care they have received. Surveys undertaken to collect data related to specific issues can be extremely productive.
Clinical Governance
A system through which NHS organizations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of services, and that there is a comprehensive programme of quality improvement systems.
The six pillars of clinical governance are
- Clinical effectiveness
- Research & development
- Openness
- Risk management
- Education & training
and - Clinical audit
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