The principal aim of audit is to improve the quality of patient care but it can also be used as a means of identifying inefficiencies within a service and outcomes of an audit can form the basis of education and training of all members of the healthcare team. The system used at Alder Hey has been a manual entry system onto the QARx database.
Clinical pharmacists record the type of intervention, drug and outcome.
The data collected is discussed at monthly peer review sessions and is used for the provision of information to the Drug and Therapeutics Committee, updating Therapeutic Guidelines and producing the Therapeutic News Bulletin. Alder Hey employs a clinical audit pharmacist who undertakes many of the pharmacy based audit projects. Clinical pharmacists have extensive ward based experience and are trained in all areas of drug therapy. They have access to extensive drug information resources along with contact with many other healthcare professionals during ward visits. All pages copyright Priory Lodge Education Ltd 1994,1995,1996.