Jose L. López-Campos, Unidad Médico-Quirúrgica de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/Universidad de Sevilla; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
Maria Abad Arranz, Unidad Médico-Quirúrgica de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
Laura Carrasco Hernández, Unidad Médico-Quirúrgica de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
The complexity of healthcare and the rapid and constant changes in technology and therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may generate uncertainty in decision-making and variability in clinical practice. Currently, there is a gap between the medical care that patients receive and the recommended practice. In both primary and secondary care, there are unjustified variations in practice and outcomes, which cannot be explained by the characteristics of the patients. Clinical audits emerge as an overarching tool that allows a constantly updating process that feeds back with the aim of improving healthcare. The objective of this review is to update the clinical audits for COPD as an available tool with a potential to improve healthcare. Clinicians and health managers should work hand in hand to overcome current limitations and be able to give the best possible clinical care for patients with COPD.
Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Clinical audit. Health management. Quality of care.
