Audit assessment form

Consider the audit cycle below to determine how far the report has progressed around the cycle.

Audit cycle


Ref: A form to help learn and teach about assessing medical audit papers: BMJ 1991;303:1520-2

3 Things to consider

  1. Background Issues
  2. Methodological Issues
  3. Implications for clinical practice

Background issues

Yes No Don’t know/
Not sure
1 Is this audit relevant to the quality of patient care?
2 Is the indication for undertaking the audit made explicit?
3 (a) Does the audit investigate routine practice?
If not:
(b) Does the audit concern a non-standard, new or experimental procedure?
4 Does the audit concern a clinical issue characterised by
(a) High volume workload?
(b) High cost?
(c) Local or wider concern?
(d) High variability in price?
5 (a) Is there a consensus or partial consensus on the ideal mode of practice?
If not:
(b) Is it realistic, at the present time, to attempt to develop a consensus on the issue?
6 Is the audit of:
(a) Structure of care?
(b) Process of care?
(c) Outcome of care?

 


Ref: A form to help learn and teach about assessing medical audit papers: BMJ 1991;303:1520-2

Methodological issues

Yes No Don’t know/
Not sure
1 Which, if any, of the following audit designs/approaches is used?
(a) Case note review
(b) Critical incident discussion
(c) Critical incident monitoring
(d) Routine data monitoring
(e) Criterion based topic audit
(f) Other
2 (a) Are the standards made explicit?
(b) Are the standards implicit?
3 Is the process of standard setting described?
4 (a) Were the standards taken from external sources (for example, medical reports)?
(b) Were the standards adapted from external sources?
(c) Were the standards developed by the authors?
5 Was the audit based on aggregated data?
6 Is the data collection method one that can be used by most clinicians?
7 Are the methods described well enough for you to repeat the audit?
8 (a) Are the results compared explicitly with standards?
(b) Are the results compared implicitly with standards?

 


Ref: A form to help learn and teach about assessing medical audit papers: BMJ 1991;303:1520-2

Implications for clinical practice

Yes No Don’t know/
Not sure
1 Do the authors indicate whether practice needs to be altered?
2 Are you convinced by their arguments?
3 Are appropriate realistic changes suggested?
4 Are the resource implications of the changes discussed?
5 Were the suggested changes implemented?
6 Were the changes described well enough for them to be implemented in in your setting?
7 Was the impact of change evaluated?
8 (a) Did the change lead to the anticipated benefit
If not:
(b) Were the reasons discussed?
9 (a) Were the benefits sustained?
If not:
(b) Were the reasons discussed?
10 Were the standards revised as a result of the audit?
11 Were the areas requiring educational input identified?
12 Were opportunities for future audit projects identified?
13 Were opportunities for research identified?

 


Ref: A form to help learn and teach about assessing medical audit papers: BMJ 1991;303:1520-2

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