Auditing audits: use and development of the Oxfordshire Medical Audit Advisory Group rating system

To assess the value of the Oxfordshire Medical Audit Advisory Group rating system in monitoring and stimulating audit activity, and to implement a development of the system.

Use of the rating system for assessment of practice audits on three annual visits in Oxfordshire; development and use of an "audit grid" as a refinement of the system; questionnaire to all medical audit advisory groups in England and Wales.

All 85 general practices in Oxfordshire; all 95 medical audit advisory groups in England and Wales.

Level of practices' audit activity as measured by rating scale and grid. Use of scale nationally together with perceptions of strengths and weaknesses as perceived by chairs of medical audit advisory groups.

After one year Oxfordshire practices more than attained the target standards set in 1991, with 72% doing audit involving setting target standards or implementing change; by 1993 this had risen to 78%. Most audits were confined to chronic disease management, preventive care, and appointments. 38 of 92 medical audit advisory groups used the Oxfordshire group's rating scale. Its main weaknesses were insensitivity in assessing the quality of audits and failure to measure team involvement.

The rating system is effective educationally in helping practices improve and summatively for providing feedback to family health service authorities. The grid showed up weakness in the breadth of audit topics studied.

Oxfordshire practices achieved targets set for 1991-2 but need to broaden the scope of their audits and the topics studied. The advisory group's targets for 1994-5 are for 50% of practices to achieve an audit in each of the areas of clinical care, access, communication, and professional values and for 80% of audits to include setting targets or implementing change.