The use of medical audits in surgical education

Quality of medical care audits conducted in the form of a conference attended by surgical residents, faculty, and medical students accomplish the following: (1) provide an excellent educational experience for all participants; (2) are enthusiastically received by all concerned; (3) accomplish considerably more than audits performed in the manner prescribed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAH); and (4) fulfill JCAH/Professional Standards Review Organization (PSRO) requirements. This modified type of audit can be used successfully as a variant of a teaching seminar in which learning is more predictable because of the active participation of all concerned. Criteria sets which include simple and complex criteria must be developed if audits are to alter patterns of care for complex surgical problems.