Audit for a Purpose

This article argues that to be successful clinical audit needs to have an explicit and useful purpose. This is for the general purpose of audit, and for each specific clinical audit project. Negative and positive views about clinical audit are compared with the official policy that the purpose of clinical audit is to improve patient care. It is suggested that to be purposeful, each clinical audit project needs to be clearly focused and concern issues that are important to the people who are going to carry out the audit. The audit also needs to address issues about quality, such as effectiveness and efficiency. It is also suggested that clinicians need to own the audit process if they are to be committed to examining their own practice and identifying any deficiencies. The choice of audit topic and analysis of data should therefore be controlled by the clinicians. This leads to discussion of possible conflict between managers, purchasing agencies and clinicians over the choice of audit topics. It is concluded that careful negotiation may be required to ensure that each audit topic is perceived as purposeful by clinicians.     

Time for quantitative clinical pharmacology: a proposal for a pharmacometrics curriculum

A formal training program in pharmacometrics is essential to train clinical pharmacology scientists. A proposal is made for a pharmacometrics curriculum. The curriculum has components at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.     

Time for a change

With the help of a leading European image consultancy, Nursing Standard gave two readers a professional makeover to boost their confidence and help them make a better impression in their daily lives.