Ethical Issues In Clinical Audit

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The fictitious clinical audit that has been presented above does not involve anything being done to patients. Therefore, this audit does not require formal ethical approval. However, audits must always be conducted within the ethical framework, ensuring patient and staff confidentiality throughout. According to the ‘Data Protection Act’ (1998), there are eight principles an audit must comply with (See Appendix L) this is to ensure that the information gathered is handled accordingly. In accordance with the ‘Data Protection Act’ (1998), that any data collected must not be reviewed by non-trust staff, and any data collected must be anonymised such as name, address and date of birth. Any data collected with this information will be destroyed …show more content…

A common fault is taking into consideration how busy the wards are at times. In adolescent inpatient settings, there are many incidents in a short period of time. In these circumstances implementing a 24-72 hour debrief for staff and patients can prove difficult (NICE,2015). Another challenge of achieving this audits outcome into debriefs is that nurses have other commitments and typically have a high caseload, this can mean that debriefs can be quickly forgotten (Dhamija et al.,2012). Clinical engagement from patients and staff can also prove difficult, due to them not being psychologically ready to take part. Another limitation of carrying out this audit is that staff would need extra training on how to approach young people to feel supported when they are involved in the debrief process (NICE,2015). Debriefs are also not carried out routinely, and only when staff remember. It is also difficult to get all the necessary staff involved in the debrief, due to different shift patterns. NICE (2015) suggest that recording of violence and aggression is currently variable; therefore, it is difficult to get a clear picture nationally if debriefs are happening. Gabbay (et al.,1990) highlighted that not all healthcare professionals are familiar with clinical audits, but those exposed have an appreciation of the process. However, Gabbay (et al.,1990) added that sometimes healthcare professionals could refuse to take

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