Introducing students to clinical audit

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Clinical Audit

Background:

• Despite recommendations for clinical audit engagement by the UK Central Council for Nursing Midwifery and Health Visiting over a decade ago, nursing adoption remains low.
• There is a perceived lack of evidence demonstrating widespread nursing engagement with clinical audit processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the low engagement of nursing in clinical audit.
• To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating clinical audit into nursing education through a pilot project.

Main Methods:

• A pilot project was implemented at Northampton General Hospital in collaboration with the University of Northampton.
• Two third-year adult nursing students conducted a pressure ulcer care audit as part of their final year dissertation.
• The project involved support from the hospital's audit department and academic supervision from experienced tutors.

Main Results:

• The pilot project successfully engaged nursing students in a 'real life' clinical audit.
• Positive evaluations indicate the project's success in a practical healthcare setting.
• The university has decided to extend the project to a second phase.

Conclusions:

• Integrating clinical audit into nursing education is a viable strategy to enhance engagement.
• The pilot project demonstrated a successful model for collaboration between healthcare institutions and universities.
• The expansion of the project suggests a positive impact on nursing practice and education.