Aspects of audit. 1. The background

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality assurance
• Medical practice review

Background:

• Existing healthcare review methods in Britain face ongoing debate regarding their practicality and acceptance.
• The proliferation of terms for review processes complicates understanding and implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify terminology in healthcare review, specifically defining "audit" as a review of medical work by medical professionals.
• To differentiate between internal audit (peer review) and external audit (review by outside organizations).
• To explore the impact of internal and external audit concepts on medical professionals' attitudes.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of healthcare review terminology.
• Distinction between internal audit (peer review) and external audit.
• Examination of the influence of audit concepts on medical professional attitudes.

Main Results:

• "Audit" is proposed as a precise term for medical work review by peers.
• Internal audit (peer review) and external audit are identified as distinct review types.
• The concepts of internal and external audit significantly shape medical professionals' perspectives on audit.

Conclusions:

• The definition and distinction between internal and external audit are crucial for understanding healthcare review.
• Medical professionals' attitudes towards audit are influenced by the perceived nature of internal versus external review.
• Shortcomings of US-style external audits are not necessarily transferable to the British healthcare context.