Nelson M, Piterman L
Department of Community Medicine and General Practice, Monash University, East Bentleigh, Victoria.
Aust Fam Physician. 1998 Jan;27 Suppl 1:S34-8.
To record the experience of 87 general practitioners who undertook a two phase clinical self-audit of their recording of risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease and the acceptability of the audit process to them.
Participants were members of two Victorian Divisions of General Practice, one rural and one metropolitan. Each practitioner completed a clinical self-audit with a pre and post audit questionnaire. The post audit questionnaire was a repeat of the pre audit questionnaire with the addition of specific questions to measure their experience of the audit process.
Likert scale and qualitative response.
The results indicate that general practitioners thought the process was sound and taught them something about their actual rather than perceived practice, but were wary of sampling techniques and whether the audit reflected the recording of risk factors rather than preventive practice.
The potential of clinical self audit in Australian general practice is highlighted particularly in the light of Practice Assessment as a compulsory component of vocational registration.
