Starting National Audit Projects

Well conducted national audit is particularly valuable to our speciality. It encourages us to reflect on our practice and compare it to national benchmarks. It is also part of the process of professional lifelong learning and has increasingly become a contractual requirement. The long term nature of Orthodontic care and the fact that many clinicians work in relative isolation challenges us to devise meaningful projects. These require co-operation across the membership groups and the country. Many local and regional projects will lend themselves to national or web-based projects from which we can all benefit. The BOS audit recipe book and Clinical Effectiveness Bulletin is already an established line of national information sharing.

The Clinical Standards Committee of the BOS is keen to encourage national projects from all of the membership groups.

Tips on getting started

General help and advice/Project design

Any individual or group considering a national project should take account the following:-
1. Develop a clear audit question
2. Either involves setting a standard or audit against an established standard
3. Undertake peer review of the project
4. Validate questionnaires/data gathering methods

Representatives from the BOS membership groups and an audit co-ordinator sit on the Clinical Standards Committee (CSC) and feed back to Regional Co-ordinators and their respective groups. The individuals below are happy to give informal advice from the earliest stage. This may avoid duplication of effort and provide guidance on getting started before consideration by the CSC.

How we can help?

1. Data gathering and analysis
- Agreed funding (see below)
- Local agreements with hospital/trust audit departments
- Enthusiastic individuals/trainees

2. Dissemination Of Information
- The Clinical Effectiveness Bulletin publishes local, regional and national projects.
- Previous national projects have been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national meetings.
- The audit section of the BOS website

3. Funding Sources
- BOS treasurer (Applications through CSC)
- BOS Scholarship Committee
- Local agreements with audit departments
- Sponsorship & prizes
- BOSF

Produced by the CSC on behalf of BOS
November 07