This is a fun audit done by a group of nurses on our practice nurse course. It took them about 15 minutes to plan and do.  How does yours compare?   Click on the hyperlinks if you need to refresh your memory on any part.

Audit title:

• “Do nurses on the course get given enough coffee?”

Problem identified:

• Thirst during teaching sessions.
• Deciding what to audit 

Criterion:

• “All nurses on the course should have had at least 20 cups of coffee during the week”.
• Evidence for criterion:  “The importance of high caffeine intake”, Irish W,  British Journal of Caffeinology, p28, volume 4, 1996.
• Setting audit criteria 

Standard:

• This should be achieved by at least nine out of the ten nurses on the course (90%).
• Evidence for standard: Nurses on the last course achieved 80%; the organisers should have been able to improve on that.
• Setting audit standards 

Data gathering:

• Verbal report from memory to the group scribe.
• Getting the data 

Results:

• Only seven nurses had managed at least 20 cups of coffee.
• Discussion:  it appears that the organisers resent having to keep doing the washing-up and find excuses not to brew more coffee.
• Looking at your results 

Plans for change:

• The organisers need a washing-up rota which we’ve now produced – see notice board.
• It will be written into Dr Harris’ contract that his salary is dependant on meeting the coffee standard.
• Implementing change 

Closing the loop:

• The audit needs to be repeated by the next course in six months.
• “Closing the loop”