Audit of clinical histories in provincial public hospitals: Utility of the Global Trigger Tool

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The medical history audit is essential to control the quality of care, and is deficient in public hospitals in
the province of Buenos Aires. There is a Global Trigger Tool that can be adapted in order to perform a proper audit in these institutions. METHODS: The Global Trigger Tool defined 53 triggers in 6 modules. The review team was composed by 3 people,  who audited a random sample of 20 medical histories per month in search of triggers related to adverse events. Then, hard  data were generated in form of indicators. RESULTS: A total of 240 medical histories were audited in 2019, finding 70 adverse  events (80% in the first semester and 20% in the remaining months). DISCUSSION: The importance of audit in the public  hospitals of Buenos Aires province should not be underestimated. The featured tool has important advantages from the cost- benefit point of view. It is convenient to adapt the Global Trigger Tool for audit in these institutions