Do Peer Chart Audits Improve Residents??? Performance in Providing Preventive Care?

PURPOSE: One recommended method to evaluate residents' competence in practice-based learning and improvement is chart audit. This study determined whether residents improved in providing preventive care after a peer chart audit program was initiated. METHOD: Residents audited 1,005 charts and scored their peers on 12 clinical preventive services. The mean total chart audit scores were compared across five time blocks of the 45-month study. RESULTS: Residents' performance in providing preventive care initially improved significantly but declined in the last ten months. However, their performance remained significantly higher than at the beginning. CONCLUSIONS: By auditing their peers' charts, residents improved their own performance in providing preventive care. The diffusion of innovations theory may explain the prolonged implementation phase and problems in maintaining a chart audit program.