Navigating research methods: clinical audit

This chapter discusses the principles of clinical audit and explains the reasons for conducting audit in clinical practice settings. The six key steps of the clinical audit cycle are outlined: 1. Identification of the problem, 2. Definition of the standard, 3. Data collection, 4. Data analysis, 5. Practice improvement, and 6. Sustainability and re-audit. The chapter also provides an overview of how the audit reports should be written. Finally, the main differences between clinical audit and research are summarised.