Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
14:32
Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Audit in clinical practice
Prince Cheriyan Modayil1, Ragesh Kuyyattil Panchikkeel, Nisha Alex
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, St George's Hospital, London, UK.
Summary
Clinical audit is a quality improvement process that systematically reviews healthcare against standards to enhance patient care. It involves setting standards, measuring practice, and implementing changes to confirm improvements.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Clinical Practice Review
Background:
- The concept of audit in healthcare has ancient origins, dating back to 1750 BC.
- Clinical audit is a method to assess adherence to established standards and best practices in healthcare delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define and explain the process and importance of clinical audit.
- To highlight clinical audit as a systematic quality improvement process.
Main Methods:
- The clinical audit cycle involves establishing standards, measuring current practices, and comparing them against these standards.
- It includes implementing changes based on the comparison and conducting re-audits to verify improvements.
Main Results:
- Clinical audit systematically reviews care against explicit criteria to improve patient care and outcomes.
- Changes implemented at various levels (individual, team, service) are confirmed through re-auditing.
Conclusions:
- Clinical audit is a crucial quality improvement process for enhancing healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
- Barriers to effective clinical audits include insufficient funding and protected time for healthcare teams.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are prospective experimental studies conducted on humans to determine the safety and efficacy of treatments, drugs, diet methods, and medical devices. Using statistics in clinical trials enables researchers to derive reasonable and accurate conclusions from the collected data, allowing them to make wise decisions in uncertain situations. In medical research, statistical methods are crucial for preventing errors and bias.
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...
01:27Nursing Clinical Information System
Nursing Clinical Information System (NCIS)
A Nursing Clinical Information System (NCIS) is a specialized type of healthcare information system tailored to meet the unique needs of nursing practice. It incorporates the principles of nursing informatics to streamline information management and improve the quality of care delivery.
Critical attributes of NCIS include:
A Nursing Clinical Information System (NCIS) is a specialized type of healthcare information system tailored to meet the unique needs of nursing practice. It incorporates the principles of nursing informatics to streamline information management and improve the quality of care delivery.
Critical attributes of NCIS include:
01:11Clinical Trials: Overview
Clinical development focuses on how the drug will interact with the human body and encompasses four key phases of clinical trials, each serving a specific purpose in assessing the safety and effectiveness of new drugs. These phases overlap and build upon one another. Phase I involves a small group of healthy volunteers (typically 20-80 individuals) or, in cases where significant toxicity is expected, patients with the targeted disease, such as cancer or AIDS. The volunteers are tested for...
01:19Standards of Care II
Nurses bear specific legal responsibilities under several federal statutes, including:
01:22Standards of Care I
Federal statutes profoundly impact nursing practice, providing critical guidelines to ensure patient care is equitable, accessible, and of the highest quality. The following laws address distinct aspects of healthcare provision and patient rights:
01:19Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications
Respiratory assessment is a cornerstone of nursing assessments, crucial for the early detection of patient deterioration. This evaluation transcends routine procedures, representing a critical skill nurses must master to ensure optimal patient care.
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...