Abstract
Surgical audit is being undertaken to monitor and compare (by computer) the type of patient, work load, and results of two similar surgical units. Both units are in the City and Hackney District of London, one at St Bartholomew's Hospital and the other at Hackney Hospital. During 1978, 736 patients were admitted by the unit at St Bartholomew's Hospital and 902 by the unit at Hackney. At St Bartholomew's 70% of admissions were elective compared with 49% at Hackney, where 86% of patients lived within the district compared with only 36% at St Bartholomew's. The wound was the commonest site for complications, infection affecting 9% of those at Hackney and 6% at St Bartholomew's, despite identical antibiotic policies. There were six post-operative deaths at St Bartholomew's and 32 at Hackney. In both hospitals the length of stay was similar, 50% of patients being discharged within one week and 80% within two weeks. As a result of the audit a vigorous venous thrombosis prophylactic regimen has been instituted, and at Hackney the anaesthetic department has been strengthened and a new intensive care unit opened.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Dudley H. A. Audit and the pathologist. Proc R Soc Med. 1975 Oct;68(10):634–637. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ginsburg J., Havard C. W. Polycystic ovary syndrome. Br Med J. 1976 Sep 25;2(6038):737–740. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6038.737. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sparrow G. P. Penicillamine pemphigus and the nephrotic syndrome occurring simultaneously. Br J Dermatol. 1978 Jan;98(1):103–105. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1978.tb07339.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]