Trainees and Audit [QSI Ref: XR-204]

Trainees’ perceptions of audit and local audit arrangements.

The Clinical Radiology Specialty Training Curriculum implemented in August 2021 states that to achieve CC,  trainees are expected to demonstrate achievement of the generic and specialty-specific high level outcomes, known as capabilities in practice “CiP”. Generic CiP 3 “Engage in reflection, clinical governance and quality improvement processes to ensure good practice” descriptor 1 expects trainees to facilitate and lead on quality improvement and audit projects to improve patient care and experience.This requires trainees to have a sound knowledge of the principles and practice of audit and quality improvement and to undertake an audit or a quality improvement project and audit assessment (QIPAT) activity annually. This template examines whether trainees understand audit and its role in quality of care and whether the department is supporting the audit process. A clear lead from the trainers is necessary if Specialist Registrars are to acquire and develop an understanding as to why the audit process is crucial to good and successful medical practice.

The standard: 

A locally agreed standard with two parts:

a) 90% of Specialist Registrars will answer "Yes" to all of questions https://www.rcr.ac.uk/sites/default/files/clinical_radiology_curriculum_2020.pdf of Part A of the questionnaire (see Resources)

b) 90% of Specialist Registrars should give a score of "Good" to "Very good" to all of the questions in Part B of the questionnaire (see Resources)

Target: 

a. 90%

b. 90%

Indicators: 

• Percentage of Specialist Registrars answering "Yes" to all of questions 5, 6 and 7 of Part A of the questionnaire

• Percentage of Specialist Registrars who give a score of "Good" to "Very good" (i.e. 4–6) to all questions in Part B of the questionnaire

Data items to be collected: 

Responses of Specialist Registrars to the questionnaire (see Resources).

Suggested number: 

All Specialist Registrars.

The Head of Training should take a radical look at the local training arrangements in clinical audit and introduce the appropriate changes:

• Make clear to all training staff within the department that audit is a fundamental component of the training curriculum

• Review the support given by individual consultants to the trainees' audit activities

• The activities of the lead consultant in clinical audit should be reviewed

   - Do they have sufficient allocated time in their job plan to carry out this role as per the RCR guidance?

   - Is there appropriate interaction and support of trainees' audit activity?

   - Is it time for change?

• Protected time for the trainees should be set aside for audit activities

• The annual forward programme of clinical audit should be carefully planned

• Questionnaire

• Secretarial

• Radiologist (4 hours)

https://www.rcr.ac.uk/sites/default/files/clinical_radiology_curriculum_2020.pdf

Taken from Clinical Audit in Radiology 100+ recipes RCR 1996, updated by H Bailey 2017 Reviewed by Magdalena Szewczyk-Bieda Sept 2021