Implementation Tools

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) defines a clinical audit as a systematic quality improvement activity that enables practices to review performance against agreed standards, analyse clinical data, and implement changes to improve patient care and health outcomes.

Clinical audits can focus on:

• Clinical care – reviewing the care provided to patients (e.g. diabetes management, cancer screening).
• Practice systems – reviewing administrative processes, workflows, and procedures that support quality care.

The Clinical Audit Cycle

Select a topic → Set criteria → Collect and analyse data → Implement change → Re-audit

This process helps practices identify opportunities for improvement, measure progress, and demonstrate that changes have led to better outcomes.

Why Clinical Audit Matters

Clinical audit is a foundational component of quality improvement and supports:

✔ Improving patient outcomes and quality of care
✔ Meeting accreditation requirements, including RACGP Criterion QI1.3
✔ Demonstrating continuous quality improvement activities
✔ Contributing to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements

Clinical Audit and Quality Improvement

Clinical Audit asks: How are we performing?
Quality Improvement asks: What changes can we make to improve outcomes?

Together, they form a continuous improvement cycle that helps practices use data to identify opportunities, implement changes, and measure improvement over time.

Clinical Audit → Identify gaps → Implement improvements → Measure outcomes → Re-audit