Differentiating between audit and research: postal survey of health authorities' views

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Abstract
We recently completed a national audit of screening for diabetic retinopathy The aim of the audit was to identify factors associated with screening coverage and to provide baseline data for local audit cycles. The study involved collecting data from every health authority in England and Wales on how they organised screening and then sampling 25 districts representing different types of provision. In the districts selected, a random sample of general practices was invited to take part. Participation involved allowing scrutiny of a random sample of records from the diabetes register, to identify where, when, and by whom patients had retinopathy screening examinations within the previous four years. Data extraction was usually done by members of the local primary care audit group, but in some cases an external researcher was recruited. When a patient had no record of being screened, practices were asked to write to the patient to check whether tests may have been done elsewhere, for example in the private sector.

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