Medical record audits as a means of preventitive care

The medical records audit forms part of a larger study which examined the process and outcomes of preventitive care practiced by GP's. The audit was pursued to evaluate the quality of medical records from diverse practice settings, particularly in relation to the recording of preventitive information. Audit data for each patient included the number of visits made to GPs; the number of referrals to specialists; the detection of bowel cancer, malignant melanoma's, heart attack, or high blood pressure; whether the (female) patient had undergone a hysterectomy or a mammogram, if the patient suffered from asthma or diabetes, and if weight, BMI, height, alcohol consumption and smoking status had been recorded.