Library resource guides: ANZCA & FPM CPD Program resources: Clinical audit

Guide index

Clinical audit of own practice or significant input into group audit of practice

The objective is collecting data on practice, reflecting on the results and considering practice changes if areas for improvement are identified.

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Can involve one CPD participant or a group of practitioners in one or more disciplines - for example: an anaesthetist and surgeon could jointly audit their patient outcomes

Compare procedures, processes or outcomes of health or patient care in anaesthesia, perioperative medicine, pain medicine or diving and hyperbaric medicine, with best practice standards in that domain - for example: Audit a Paediatric Rapid Sequence Induction process and consider variations in practice; or undertake a review of epidural procedures and outcomes; or perform a PACU audit examining airway complications
Audit the outcomes of a department or group of specialists, comparing with state, national or international benchmarks.
Audit your own clinical performance in an area of practice compared with those of your peers (department, practice or other group of colleagues).
Trial an alternate practice model followed by evaluation - for example: trial of a "closed model" of HDU compared to the previous "open model" of HDU

The college also offers some clinical audit templates, developed by fellows from across Australia and New Zealand. These are available via Learn@ANZCA (see Learn@ANZCA box).

See the clinical audit guideline for further information concerning this activity.

See also: I undertake clinical governance activities of the CPD for clinical support roles guide

Following the clinical audit, you may choose to complete a report of audit findings
If the audit results are discussed with a colleague, the colleague can record this as a review of ANZCA and FPM fellows activity (Knowledge & Skills category).
Following the clinical audit, you may choose to undertake an individual critical reflection activity n what went well/not so well or what would you do differently in a future audit?

CPD Value: CPD participants may claim this under the Practice evaluation - measuring performance clinical audit activity.

External resources

The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) has developed a publication titled Raising the Standards: RCoA quality improvement compendium, which provides examples of achievable audits focused mainly on measurement against defined process standards.

ANZCA gratefully acknowledges the RCoA’s willingness to make this document available for our participants. Ready-to-use audit topics and samples relevant to clinical care are presented as a series of chapters (which include perioperative care, pain medicine, intensive care medicine).

Raising the Standards: RCoA Quality Improvement Compendium, 4e by Chereshneva M, Johnston C, Colvin JR, Peden CJ [eds]. The Quality Improvement Compendium, previously known as the Audit Recipe Book, provides a manual of quality improvement (QI) and audit tools for anaesthetists.
ISBN: 9781527265226
Publication Date: September 2020
Chapter 10 - Pain Medicine, Raising the Standards: RCoA Quality Improvement Compendium, 4e by Dr Matthew Brown and Dr Manohar Lal Sharm [eds] The Quality Improvement Compendium, previously known as the Audit Recipe Book, provides a manual of quality improvement (QI) and audit tools for anaesthetists.
ISBN: 9781527265226
Publication Date: September 2020

The Medical Council of New Zealand website outlines their expectations on audit with some examples relevant to clinical practice.

MCNZ: Audit of medical practice
An audit of medical practice is a systematic, critical analysis of the quality of a doctor’s own practice, the results of which are used to improve clinical care and/or health outcomes, or to confirm that current management is consistent with the current available evidence or accepted consensus guidelines.

Best Practice in Clinical Audit by Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership This document is the result of wide consultation and workshops with clinicians, service managers, and clinical audit staff, as well as representatives of a range of professional bodies including the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
ISBN: 9781907561498
Publication Date: April 2020
Surgical Audit Guide, 5e by Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Publication Date: August 2021
The revised edition of the RACS Surgical Audit Guide focuses on providing surgeons with the information and tools needed to undertake quality surgical audit. We hope that you find this guide helpful in conducting audit throughout all stages of your surgical career.

AANA: Practice Management
Practice management tools and insights help you confidently manage practice events, practice resources, anesthesia staffing, and patient care needs.
HQIP: Best Practice in Clinical Audit
The purpose of this document is to set out updated criteria for best practice in local clinical audit
QLD Health: Audit tools for National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
A range of audit tools have been developed for facilities to use to collect data and evidence of meeting the standards.
Vic Health: Investigation of clinical incidents
Clinical incident investigation aims to understand why and how an incident occurred, and to identify ways to prevent a recurrence.

Backhouse A, Ogunlayi F. Quality improvement into practice. BMJ. 2020;368:m865. Published 2020 Mar 31.
Limb C, Fowler A, Gundogan B, Koshy K, Agha R. How to conduct a clinical audit and quality improvement project. Int J Surg Oncol (N Y). 2017;2(6):e24. Keywords: Audit; Clinical governance; Design; Leadership and management; Project design; QIP; Quality improvement project; Service improvement.
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Abstract
Audits and quality improvement projects are vital aspects of clinical governance and continual service improvement in medicine. In this article we describe the process of clinical audit and quality improvement project. Guidance is also provided on how to design an effective audit and bypass barriers encountered during the process.

Learn@ANZCA

Use the links below to access additional support resources contained on the Learn@ANZCA platform.

Note: Resources located in Learn@ANZCA require that you first register before accessing.

Clinical Audit Samples [Learn@ANZCA]
The practice evaluation component of the CPD program includes the activity 'Clinical audit of own practice or significant input into a group of audit practice'. This learn module contains the large number of templates available.

ANZCA & FPM resources

CPD Activity Guide
This guide contains a list of all the activities associated with the ANZCA and FPM CPD Program, as well as links to associated individual activity guides and forms.
ANZCA and FPM CPD Program: Clinical audit guideline
This guideline assists CPD participants complete the Clinical audit activity.
ANZCA and FPM CPD Program: Clinical audit CPD verification form