Are your casenotes perfect?

Abstract

Working for Patients (1989) demonstrates the Government's intention to “encourage all Royal Colleges to make participation in medical audit a condition of a hospital unit being allowed to train doctors”, suggesting this may also become a requirement for psychiatric trainees. The Psychiatry Department at Fazakerley Hospital moved into the rather uncharted territory of clinical audit with monthly unit audit meetings in 1989. At each meeting randomly selected cases are reviewed and data presented which are relevant to clinical practice on the unit. The majority of topic audits have been presented by trainees with support from consultants. Most Colleges agree that casenotes should be available for scrutiny (Warden, 1988). Consequently I undertook a casenote audit.