Abstract
Medical audit is currently the subject of much discussion, but the breadth and intensity of the debate should not obscure the idea of medical audit as ‘basically a process of self-education’ (Shaw, 1980a). The requirements for audit have been summarized as information, resources and willingness to participate (Shaw, 1980b). I have attempted to devise a simple scheme for self-audit in a general psychiatric setting. The acquisition of appropriate information within the resources of ordinary clinical practice was my aim.
Highlights
Medical audit is currently the subject of much discussion, but the breadth and intensity of the debate should not obscure the idea of medical audit as 'basically a process of self-education' (Shaw, 1980a)
It became clear that the only way to analyse the material was by individual headings; for example how reliable was my diagnosis of depressive illness? the small number of patients limited the usefulness of my data; I could not assess my accuracy in the diagnosis of depressive psychosis, as I had only three patients in this category
The modifications needed were only minor and I had no way of knowing whether 7 minor prognosis errors in 22 cases could be regarded as an acceptable level of performance
Summary
Medical audit is currently the subject of much discussion, but the breadth and intensity of the debate should not obscure the idea of medical audit as 'basically a process of self-education' (Shaw, 1980a). The requirements for audit have been summarized as information, resources and willing ness to participate (Shaw, 1980b). I have attempted to devise a simple scheme for self-audit in a general psychiatric setting. The acquisition of appropriate information within the resources of ordinary clinical practice was my aim
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
