Audit: Why and How

Abstract

Clinical audit is a vital component of effective clinical governance. A surgical department that undertakes regular and comprehensive audit should be able to provide data to patients about the quality of care that it delivers, as well as reassurance to those who pay for and regulate health care. Well-constructed and conducted audit should also enable surgeons to continually improve the quality of care that they deliver. Surgeons have been at the forefront of clinical audit historically. Ernest Codman, a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital staff was a prolific quality pioneer, developing the first intraoperative anesthetic record, the first tumor registry and the first record of individual surgeon’s 1-year outcomes.