Clinical governance: quality improvement and clinical audits in practice

Abstract

Quality improvement (QI) has been employed successfully across various industries, including human healthcare, as well as the aviation and automotive industries. In the veterinary sector, practices are starting to see the many benefits that QI can offer — particularly those that come from conducting clinical audits. Clinical audits are a part of QI and aim to look at how closely clinical practice is carried out when compared with set guidelines or protocols. This article looks at the steps of clinical auditing and some of the main barriers faced when first trying to implement them into clinical practice.