Introduction Clinical audit is a cyclical process that forms part of clinical governance and determines whether national standards are met and changes in practice have improved outcomes.

An audit group was established in 2008, to encourage healthcare professionals to undertake audits of practice, but there were a number of challenges:

• ▶ How to go from collecting the data to disseminating it and making it add value to day to day clinical practice?

• ▶ How to inspire others to undertake audits?

• ▶ How to share the results in an informative and constructive way?

Aim

• ▶ To ensure that hospice clinical audit results and recommendations were shared to as many healthcare professionals as possible to inform clinical practice

• ▶ To inspire others to undertake audits and embed it as part of day to day activities.

Method A structured audit feedback meeting is held quarterly, open to all staff, volunteers and external healthcare professionals.

Following the feedback meeting a leaflet is designed and distributed to illustrate the presentation and actions to take forward.

Results

• ▶ Four feedback sessions have been held with an average of 4 audits being presented at each

• ▶ Feedback sessions are lively and well attended

• ▶ The results of audit are widely spread throughout the hospice • Clinicians understand the audit process better

• ▶ The number of audits has increased

• ▶ Improvements to patient care have been identified in:

  • ▶ Management plans in Hospice @ Home respite care

  • ▶ Improvement in documenting psychosocial information on the inpatient unit (IPU)

  • ▶ Identifying trends in patient falls.

Conclusion Audit feedback sessions and leaflets have had a positive effect on clinician's understanding of the audit process and favourable outcomes in regard to their willingness to complete them, thus fulfiling one aspect of clinical governance while improving standards and patient care.