Principles of Methodological Design of Clinical Audit

Abstract

Clinical audit is used across the globe to ensure the safe and effective delivery of healthcare. As a quality improvement tool, clinical audit has been validated at all levels, from local hospitals to national interventions. Nonetheless, there is evidence from the literature that the results produced by the audits were widely variable, with failure to generate results attributed to weak audit design. This paper outlines the key ethodological considerations and design principles that should be taken into account when developing, designing and undertaking audit projects.