Faculty of Health

Clinical audit is a key quality improvement tool, which enables staff involved in the provision of healthcare to review the provision of clinical care against existing standards and guidelines and then make improvements as a result of audit findings. The role of clinical audit across the NHS has assumed increased prominence over the past few years. At both individual and corporate levels, the robustness of clinical audit systems and the role clinical audit has in providing assurance about the standards of clinical care provided has been the subject of considerable debate, with substantive guidance being produced regarding the systems, processes and approach that should be in place within NHS Trusts. Whilst all healthcare professionals are required to participate in regular clinical audits, increased attention is now given to the management and impact of clinical audit at all levels of an organisation as it provides a key mechanism for evidencing care quality and improving standards of clinical practice.

This module considers what constitutes robust clinical audit (at both strategy, programme and project level) and explores the value of clinical audit at all levels of an organisation - locating this within the wider quality framework for an organisation or team. The module also provides an opportunity for students to critically review the key stages within the clinical audit cycle, develop their skills in planning and undertaking audits and identify the key challenges involved in managing clinical audit projects and programmes.

To enable staff involved in the provision of healthcare to review clinical care against existing standards and guidelines and then make improvements as a result of audit findings.

Healthcare professional with first degree or equivalent professional experience.

This module:

• Considers what constitutes robust clinical audit (at both strategy, programme and project level)
• Outlines the value of clinical audit at all levels of an organisation (from Board to Ward/Clinical Team), locating this within the wider quality framework for an organisation/clinical team
• Explores the key stages within the audit cycle (planning, design of audit tools, data collection, analysis and reporting, action planning and re-audit)
• Requires students to design an audit and develop audit tools
• Examines key challenges involved in managing audit projects and programmes

The teaching programme will include small group work, expert presentations and student led sessions/activities. The module will adopt a blended approach in terms of delivery, combining face to face sessions with group and individual activities to be undertaken through the Keele Learning Environment (KLE).

Students will work on-line within the KLE to critically review an exemplar clinical audit strategy and associated audit programme, mapping this to guidance in this area regarding best practice. The timeframe for this exercise is 1.5 hour on line.

3000 word essay which requires students to (i) briefly discuss what constitutes robust clinical audit (at project level) and (ii) develop an outline clinical audit project and associated audit tools.

NB students will not be expected to actually undertake the audit for purposes of this assessment, although clearly the audit should be of value and may be undertaken outwith this programme.

Module Session Dates:

22-23 June 2013