NURSING AUDIT

Objectives of nursing audit

• To improve the quality of nursing care.

• To measure the degree of quality of nursing

care against a defined criterion.

• To decrease the cost of nursing care.

• To provide a basis for determining nursing

negligence.
Objectives of nursing audit
(Cont…)
• To take remedial measures towards cost
effectiveness.

• To provide education to all nursing personnel by

the process of self education.

• To prevent the shortcomings to reoccur.

• To enhance professional knowledge from past

experience.
Importance of nursing audit

• It serves as valuable indicator to measure

quality care.

• It focuses on care provided not on care

provider.

• It helps in improving the quality of nursing.

Importance of nursing audit
(Cont…)
• It facilitates to attain more efficient use of
healthcare resources.

• It facilitates to maintain the quality and

accuracy of nursing records.
Steps involved in auditing
Establishing criteria

Identify information relevant to the criteria

Determine ways to collect the information

Collect and analyse information

Steps involved in auditing
(Cont…)
Compare collected information with established
criteria

Make judgement about quality

Take corrective action if needed

Re-audit
Research Findings

• A qualitative study to assess the nurses

participation in audit. The method used was
focus groups and interviews. The participants
were chairs of audit groups and audit support
staff in hospital, community and primary health
care and they were 99 in number.
Research Findings (Cont…)

The study concluded that

although nurses were undertaking audit, a
range of structural and organisational factors
was still impeding progress. If the ultimate goal
of audit is to improve patient care, the obstacles
that make it difficult for nurses to contribute
actively to the process.
Students References
• Jogindra Vati,'Principles and practices of
nursing management and administration',1st
edition, Jaypee publications,page no: 501-506.

• D.Elekkuvanna Bhaskara Raj,'Management of

nursing services and education’, EMMESS:
2010,page no:118-122.