Auditing the process of care in a new geriatric unit

To assess whether the objectives of a new Extended Care Unit were reflected in the care of the patients and in the outcome of that care, an audit of the patients' records was performed. The audit sample involved 101 geriatric patients who had been admitted to the Unit for rehabilitation therapy, and then discharged. The study included assessment of the records for compliance with individual audit criteria, examination of the records in terms of a composite audit score, and analysis of the relationship between these scores and three outcome indices. Although the audit did not show a significant correlation between recorded care processes and treatment outcomes, it did reveal the extent to which the Unit's goals were reflected in the care process.