Towards the audit of geriatric day hospitals: a pilot project in west Surrey/north east Hampshire.

Following the recommendation of a report on the performance of two geriatric day hospitals (GDHs) in West Surrey and North East Hampshire District Health Authority in 1988, a pilot study was set up to assess the efficacy of a proposed form of audit involving multidisciplinary teams. An outcome measure which consisted of four different scales was developed and agreed upon by the multi-professional team. These scales were used to work out a composite index (Patient Achievement Inventory-PAI). In addition, a new data form was designed for collection of patient data. To carry out this prospective clinical audit, targets were agreed for each patient, and progress was measured against them. Sixty-one (61) patients were studied (30 and 31 per respective hospital). Data form completion was 90 per cent and 81 per cent respectively. The PAI index proved to be reliable (kappa index of agreement = 0.72), and useful as an outcome measure. However, because the PAI index is made up of ordinal scales, it can only be used to measure change within individuals, not between them. The outcome measures, data forms and the continuous audit of these two GDHs proved to be meaningful and acceptable in practice.