Audit as a Quality

Control Tool
 An audit is a systematic and official
examination of a record, process, structure,
environment, or account to evaluate
performance. Auditing in health care
organizations provides managers with a
means of applying the control process to
determine the quality of services rendered.
Auditing can occur retrospectively,
concurrently, or prospectively.
 Retrospective audits – Are performed after the
patient receives the service.

 Concurrent audits – Are performed while the patient

is receiving the service.

 Prospective audits - Attempts to identify how future

performance will be affected by current
interventions.
Outcome, Process, and
Structure Audits.
 Outcome Audit
Outcomes can be defined as the end result of
nursing care. Outcome audits determine what
results occurred as a result of specific nursing
interventions for patients. These audits
assume that the outcome accurately
demonstrates the quality of care that was
provided.
 Process Audit
Process audits measure how nursing
care is provided. The audit assumes a
connection between process and
quality of care. Critical pathways and
standardized clinical guidelines are
examples of efforts to standardize the
process of care
 Process Audit
Process audits tend to be task oriented and
focus on whether practice standard are being
fulfilled.
Process audits are used to measure the process
of care or how the care was carried out and
assume that a relationship exist between the
process used by the nurse and the quality of care
provided.
 Structure Audit
Structure audits assume that a
relationship exist between quality care
and appropriate structure. A structure
audit includes resources inputs. It also
includes all those elements that exist prior
to and separate from interaction between
the patient and the health care worker.