Medical audit and libraries--an opportunity for progress.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Information Science

Background:

• Medical audit is a key quality assurance tool in patient care.
• The integration of library services into medical audit processes is often overlooked.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of medical audit's form and content.
• To examine the supporting role of libraries in medical audit.
• To propose a strategy for librarian involvement in medical audit.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on medical audit and library services.
• Analysis of Regional Medical Audit Implementation Plans.
• Development of a strategic framework for librarian participation.

Main Results:

• Many audit plans fail to recognize the value of library services.
• Librarians can actively contribute to the medical audit process.
• Increased librarian involvement can enhance decision-making.

Conclusions:

• Libraries are underutilized resources in medical audit.
• A strategic approach is needed to integrate librarians into audit processes.
• Enhanced librarian participation can improve healthcare quality and decision-making.