Introducing clinical audit into veterinary practice.

This project has been designed to increase our understanding of the clinical audit process, as it applies to veterinary practice in the UK, and to facilitate its introduction in a manner that brings maximum benefit to all stakeholders.
It examines the medical scenario to define the process and glean any relevant information. It then takes the form of an action research project that examines in depth the introduction of the audit process into a small animal practice in outer NW London, including its impact upon the standard of clinical care supplied to its
patients, and the sociological effect upon the working environment. The provisional conclusions reached in this way have then been triangulated with the findings of a
focus group of veterinarians that are actively involved in the subject, and a broader questionnaire of veterinary practitioners and support staff.
The research was able to highlight the key obstacles to introducing clinical audit into a veterinary practice, the benefits that can be achieved when its introduction has
been successfully achieved, and how those benefits may ameliorate the time and expense involved. In particular, clinical audit was found to be an effective tool for
improving client concordance with the recommended treatment regime for the animals in their care, and thus able to improve both patient welfare and practice income. The sociological changes that are needed to put clinical audit into place successfully, encouraging the development of an integrated team of highly motivated reflective practitioners working within a no-blame practice culture, can bring many additional benefits.
This work has taken place at a time when various pressures, such as the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme, and an increased public demand for professional accountability have focused interest in the subject. The author has been leading the way in increasing public awareness of the process, encouraging further research, and ensuring that clinical audit is incorporated into the new modular postgraduate CertAVP designed to develop the learning and skills of the practicing vets of the future.

A Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Professional Studies with the NCWBL partnerships at Middlesex University.