Clinical Audits and Handwashing

Clinical Audit is a tool used to examine the practices of health care professionals implemented in a health care environment. Clinical audit can be defined as a clinically led initiative which seeks to improve the quality and outcome of patient care through clinicians examining and modifying their practices according to the standards of what can be achieved, based on the best available evidence’ (Morrell & Harvey 1999). Audit has many benefits: increasing the quality of patient care directly, professional development, promoting teamwork, and demonstrating quality to purchasers and consumers (Gannon, 2004). In this assignment, using standard audit criteria the author will undertake a clinical audit in a general nursing area.

Clinical Governance was introduced by the British government in 1998 Meal et al, 2004). Taylor and Jones (2006) recognise clinical governance as the framework that ensures that NHS organisations are accountable for continually improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will develop. The introduction of Clinical Governance (National Assembly Wales, (2000) cited by Donaldson and Mullally, 2004) has placed increased emphasis on the use of audit to measure the implementation of policies and procedures relating to infection control. Clinical governance is about changing the way people work; demonstrating that leadership, teamwork and communication is as important to high quality care as risk management and clinical effectiveness (Tait, 2004). Tait (2004) also states that clinical governance requires changes at three levels: individual health care professionals need to embrace change, primary care teams need to become multidisciplinary with clear understanding, primary care organisations need to put in place systems and local arrangements to support such teams.

Before carrying out an audit, the reasons for and benefits of carrying it out should