Research

The impact of a GP clinical audit on the provision of smoking cessation advice

Lisa McKay-Brown¹ , Nicole Bishop² , James Balmford³ , Ron Borland⁴ , Catherine Kirby⁵ and Leon Piterman⁶

¹Research Fellow, Department of General Practice, Monash University, Building 1, 270 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, 3168, VIC, Australia

²Senior Researcher/Statistician, The Social Research Centre, Level 1, 262 Victoria Street North Melbourne, 3051, VIC, Australia

³Senior Research Officer, The Cancer Council Victoria, 1 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia

⁴Nigel Gray Distinguished Fellow in Cancer Prevention, The Cancer Council Victoria; Professorial Fellow, School of Population Health, University of Melbourne. 1 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia

⁵Research Fellow, Department of General Practice, Monash University, Building 1, 270 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, VIC, Australia

⁶Head of School of Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Building 1, 270 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, VIC, Australia

author email corresponding author email

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 2008, 7:4doi:10.1186/1447-056X-7-4

Published:	14 October 2008

Abstract

Aim

To investigate whether participation in a clinical audit and education session would improve GP management of patients who smoke.

Methods

GPs who participated in an associated smoking cessation research program were invited to complete a three-stage clinical audit. This process included a retrospective self-audit of smoking cessation management practices over the 6 months prior to commencing the study, attending a 2.5 hour education session about GP management of smoking cessation, and completion of a second retrospective self-audit 6 months later. Twenty-eight GPs completed the full audit and education process, providing information about their smoking cessation management with 1114 patients. The main outcome measure was changes in GP management of smoking cessation with patients across the audit period, as measured by the clinical audit tool.

Results

The majority of GPs (57%) indicated that as a result of the audit process they had altered their approach to the management of patients who smoke. Quantitative analyses confirmed significant increases in various forms of evidence-based smoking cessation management practices to assist patients to quit, or maintain quitting across the audit period. However comparative analyses of patient data challenged these findings, suggesting that the clinical audit process had less impact on GP practice than suggested in GP's self-reported audit data.

Conclusion

This study provides some support for the combined use of self-auditing, feedback and education to improve GP management of smoking cessation. However further research is warranted to examine GP- and patient-based reports of outcomes from clinical audit and other educational interventions.