The Hollywood surgical-audit programme: a computer-based discharge and data-collection system for surgical audit

This article describes the development of a computer-based system for the prospective collection of data for surgical audit and peer review with the generation of a surgical discharge letter. The software has been developed for an IBM personal computer and is suitable for any compatible computer. The system has potential advantages for teaching hospitals as it enables patients to obtain a definitive discharge letter on their discharge from hospital. It is also of potential benefit to surgeons who wish to collect clinical data and to audit the quality of their surgical practice.