The National Prescribing Centre (NPC) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society have published a guide to auditing prescribing as a contribution to the development of clinical governance.
Using antibiotic prescribing as an example, the guide sets out to explain what primary care pharmacists need to know when undertaking targeted audits.
The NPC believes that the skills and lessons that can be learnt from the book can also be applied to auditing other areas of health care.
Announcing the publication of the guide on March 28, Mr Clive Jackson (director, NPC) said: "Identifying change that is required and then attempting to implement it are key steps within clinical governance to improve the quality of patient care. The impact and value of such change must be monitored and reviewed and, where necessary, additional action taken to ensure the delivery of the required outcomes. Audit is a key element of clinical governance and is of considerable important to effective medicines management."
A second version of the guide, aimed at a wider professional audience in primary care groups, health authorities and general medical practices, is to be released in about a month.
The NPC is to disseminate guidance on clinical governance and the management of change for use with PCGs and GP practices later this year.