There are deliberate efforts to improve patient care and many Quality Improvement programmes are used for this. The focus of clinical audits in the developed world is on patient outcome measures. In these countries, there are specific laws for health care units, doctors, and paramedics.
The other reason for its absence are that it is perceived as a threat to clinical freedom.Ĭlinical audits have existed in some form or another for over 100 years in developed countries. Medical audit is now compulsory in most western countries but its practice is rare in developing nations largely due to a lack of awareness, lack of commitment, and also due to the absence of adequate medical records. This was reduced from 40% to 2% by applying simple hygienic measures. The first documented audit was conducted by Florence Nightingale in 1853 who measured the death rate in a hospital during the Crimean war.
