It's good to talk: auditing clinicians' interactions with patients in a primary care setting

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyse the effect on clinical practice of auditing doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and pharmacist consultations within an out of hours primary care organisation and the resultant effects this may have on clinical practice and the quality of care provision. Design/methodology/approach: The study utilises a multi method time series case study approach using the results from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) audit tool analysis, alongside focus group analysis and participant observation. Findings: The results demonstrate that there is a clear link between implementation of a clinical audit strategy within a wider clinical governance framework and improved standards of all clinician's work. This study also demonstrates how the analysis can inform a definition of quality. Research limitations/implications: The definition of quality is limited and is one of the limitations of the study since it is related to out of hours primary care only. Practical implications: Results may be extrapolated to other care providers both out of hours and in traditional GP practices. Originality/value: This case study demonstrates how the time series analysis of audit results can assist in assuring commissioners of health services of the quality of the services they appoint.