CLINICAL OUTCOMES, AUDIT AND IMPROVEMENT

CLINICAL OUTCOMES, AUDIT AND IMPROVEMENT

tients Clinical audit, a function of clinical governance, is the means by which the health care being provided is compared with accepted standards. It allows care providers and patients to know how their service is doing (known as quality assurance) and to identify where there could be improvements. Clinical audits can look at care nationwide or locally within hospitals and their departments, in GP practices or anywhere health care is provided ( Table 15.3 ). Measuring clinical outcomes as part of a quality improve - ment cycle can help to: /uni25CF improve the quality of clinical care, with shorter hospital - stays, better outcomes and fewer complications, reduced readmissions and greater patient satisfaction; /uni25CF inform the development of national clinical audits, includ - ing driving participation, data completeness and accuracy; /uni25CF support shared decision making and empowerment of patients, including their treatment options and choice of provider; /uni25CF improve the oversight and management of clinicians, their teams and practises, thus reassuring patients that their clin - ical care is being actively monitored and improved; /uni25CF help medical specialty associations to become increasingly transparent and patient focused; ing providing information for appraisal and revalidation; /uni25CF learn from, spread and celebrate best practice. /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF

TABLE 15.3 Four stages of high value quality improvement or clinical audit activity Preparation and planning Measurement of performance Implementation of change Sustainment and evaluation of the improvement