Clinical Effectiveness and Clinical Audit

Abstract

Any healthcare model should strive to deliver a high quality of care to the end user which in a healthcare framework is a patient receiving treatment or care. Quality is based on three fundamental aspects: clinical effectiveness, patient safety and the patient experience. Clinical effectiveness is obtained by providing the most recent evidence-based practices in the most cost-effective way possible. Patient safety encompasses as the name implies, the range of procedures that ensures safe practice by all the staff members involved in any part of the execution of a procedure directly affecting a patient. Ensuring a positive experience throughout the whole journey from the consultation to the discharge point is also a key strategy to ensure a high level of care. This chapter describes the clinical effectiveness procedures in place within the NHS including audit cycles and governance procedures to maintain clinical effectiveness.