Clinical audits, a familiar concept in the medicinal field, are a powerful tool for quality checking. They ensure that a particular aspect of healthcare meets its recognised standards and are instrumental in identifying successes and areas of improvement. By doing so, they inspire us to work towards enhancing patient outcomes.
For example, a clinical audit in a hospital can examine pre-operation skin preparation carried out by the paramedic staff in the wards. Similarly, clinical audit examples include checking the timing and duration of the antibiotics and other medicines given to the patients, the choice of antibiotics, information on infections, etc.
This article will explore more clinical audits in the UK, their importance, examples of clinical audits in nursing, and the 5 stages of clinical audits.
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Key Takeaways:
What is a Clinical Audit?
A clinical audit UK refers to a systematic procedure carried out by healthcare professionals to examine, evaluate, and improve patient care by measuring current healthcare practices against their recognised quality standards. It is a part of clinical governance, which aims to sustain high-quality clinical care for patients.
Many medical students often confuse research with clinical audits, but they are two different concepts. For example, the key features of clinical audits include:
Unlike research, which asks, "What are we doing?" a clinical audit team asks, "Are we doing the right thing in the right way?"
Evaluating several aspects of patient care, such as the overall care plan, the procedure to be followed, and the outcomes.
Being non-judgemental and transparent, which aims at constant improvement to meet quality standards without blaming or confrontations.
What are the 5 Stages of Clinical Audits?
The clinical audits in UK hospitals typically consist of 5 stages.
Stage 1: Planning and preparing your audit
The first stage of clinical audit in the UK is planning and preparing, which involves the following two steps:
Choose your topic: If you are new to audits, choose a simple topic that can be done with minimal effort, with high costs, high-volume, and high-risk areas.
Form a team: Establish a team for your audit that includes members from different disciplines within your organisation. Consider all your team members' expertise to get a well-rounded perspective.
Stage 2- Select the aims and objectives of your clinical audit
The aims and objectives of your clinical audit cycle must be clearly defined. They should align with the purpose of your audit and guide you and your team toward meaningful improvements.
Define your criteria: Create a clear statement, for example, "All diabetic patients should have their HbA1c levels checked quarterly."
Set standards: Establish a target percentage, such as aiming for 90% of diabetic patients having regular HbA1c checks.
Stage 3- Doing the audits
This stage of clinical audit in hospitals involves collecting and analysing data and observing the current practices of your topic.
Collecting data: Information can be gathered using computerised records, manual collection, or a combination of both. Data collection can be retrospective or prospective.
Analyse data: Compare actual performance against the established standard, discuss how well the standards were met, and identify reasons for any shortcomings.
Stage 4- Reviewing and making improvements
During the reviewing stage, involve all the stakeholders and team members to understand the data and areas of improvement in your clinical audit in the UK.
Share results: Share findings with relevant teams, including clinicians and administrative staff.
Develop an action plan: Detail what actions must be taken, by whom, and within what timeframe. For example, ensure all diabetic patients are scheduled for regular check-ups.
Stage 5- Sustaining improvements
At the end of your audit, a few points will beg your attention for improvement. Hence, it is essential to consider those issues and work towards their betterment.
Follow-up: Assess the effectiveness of implemented actions, make further improvements if necessary, and repeat the audit cycle to ensure continuous improvement and adherence to standards.
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Examples of Clinical Audits in Nursing
Here is a case study to elaborate more on hospital clinical audits.
Case study: Pain Management in Post-Operative Patients
Background: A large NHS hospital noticed that post-operative patients were frequently reporting inadequate pain relief. To address this, a clinical audit was initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of pain management practices.
Clinical audit cycle
Preparation: The audit team focused on pain management in post-operative patients due to its high impact on patient comfort and recovery.
Selecting Criteria: The criteria were defined as "All post-op patients should have their pain levels assessed and documented every 4 hours, and appropriate pain relief should be administered if needed."
Measuring Performance: Data was collected from patient records over three months, focusing on the frequency of pain assessments and the timeliness of pain relief administration.
Making Improvements: The findings revealed that only 60% of patients had regular pain assessments, and 40% received timely pain relief. The results were presented to the nursing staff, and an action plan, including additional training on pain assessment protocols, was developed.
Maintaining Improvements: Quarterly follow-up audits were conducted to ensure adherence to the new protocols. The subsequent audits showed a significant improvement, with 90% compliance in pain assessments and timely pain relief administration.
You can refer to several online clinical audit PDFs to learn more about such clinical audit NHS examples.
Tips for a successful clinical audit UK
Follow these valuable tips for a successful and detailed clinical audit in UK hospitals:
Ensure all the selected staff and team members receive proper and comprehensive training.
Choose high-volumised topics where the practice adherence is lower than others.
Gain supportive backing from your organisation to take help from their expertise and qualifications when needed.
Maintain privacy and confidentiality with a no-blame and no-confrontation approach.
Take time to complete your audit. It should be comprehensive and convincing.
Use smart data and improvement tools.
Do not set unrealistic standards. Take team opinions and make them agree on realistic benchmarks.
Conclusion
These clinical audits in nursing highlight the importance of regular evaluations in improving patient care. By systematically assessing and refining practices like pain management and infection control, healthcare providers can ensure higher standards of care, leading to better patient outcomes and overall hospital performance.
FAQs
What is the difference between a clinical audit and a medical audit?
Clinical audits focus on assessing the quality of patient care and clinical practices against established standards to improve patient outcomes. Whereas medical audits review the use of medical resources and the suitability of treatments to ensure adequate medical care.
How do you audit clinical practice?
What is an example of an NHS audit?
What is the standard in a clinical audit?
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