Annual Audit Prize

ICGP is delighted to once again offer the Annual PCS Audit Prize. The prize seeks to recognise exemplary audits conducted by GPs for the purposes of continuing professional development, as part of their annual statutory requirement for Professional Competence. The two winners will each receive a prize of €500. 

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Enrolled on ICGP Professional Competence Scheme for the 2023 2024 year. Only GP applicants enrolled on the current PCS year are eligible for the prize.
• Established track record of compliance with PCS requirements
• Audit recorded in ePortfolio using ICGP Audit Report Template 

By submitting an application, the applicant agrees to the potential publication of their submission on the ICGP website.

Audit Criteria

Audits must meet the following criteria:

• Completed in the 2022 2023 or 2023 2024 PCS year
• Topic should be relevant and common to General Practice – clinical or non-clinical – and easily replicated in day-to-day practice in a variety of settings nationwide. By way of example, you may choose a clinical focus such as Dermatology in Practice, Community Gynaecology, Better Safer Prescribing, Care of the Older Person, or a professional focus such as record keeping, communications or management
• Methodology that may easily be applied in other GP practices
• Select criteria (measurable elements of care or activity) from chosen, recognised guidelines (e.g. ICGP Quick Reference Guides, HSE Guidelines, NICE Guidelines, GINA Guidelines)
• Demonstrates all steps of the Audit Cycle, as per the ICGP Audit Report template provided

 NB: Judges' decision is final; judges reserve the right not to award the prize if minimum criteria are not met.

Submissions

To submit, applicants should follow the steps below on or before 12 noon on Friday 26 April 2024.

1. Record audit to the ePortfolio using the ICGP Audit Report Template (DOC, 51KB)
2. Email Professional.Competence@icgp.ie with the following details:

• Applicant name
• Applicant email address
• Title of Audit

Team audits can be accepted but must be GP-led and the primary author must be a GP and ICGP PCS enrolee. Only GP enrolees are eligible to submit applications and win the prize. Additional collaborators can be mentioned in the audit acknowledgements.

Named authors on team submissions should be included based on each of the following four criteria -

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the audit; or acquiring, analysing, or interpreting the data used in the audit
2. Writing the draft of the report on the audit or reviewing it critically for important patient safety or Quality Improvement of content
3. Final approval of the audit report to be submitted
4. Agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work on the audit and ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved

Previously Shortlisted Audits'

• Get the Injection, Not the Infection
• Update of Cervical Smears in General Practice
• Audit of patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (eGFR<45) to improve cardiovascular risk factors - Please click here for a short webinar on this audit.
• Antibiotic treatment of acute infectious cough in otherwise healthy adults as per HSE guidelines
• The assessment of Bone health in cancer treated patients.
• Audit-enhanced compliance with national antibiotic guidelines
• An audit of pneumococcal vaccine uptake for patients with Diabetes Mellitus in rural general practice