Empowering Quality Through Clinical Audit: Highlights from Our Interactive Workshop
"Improving Today's Care to Prevent Tomorrow's Harm" was the theme of our most recent Clinical and Quality Audit Workshop, which was held as a post-conference on October 16, 2025, as part of the 2nd International Allied Health Conference 2025. It was organized by the Allied Health Department of Aga Khan University and Hospital Karachi by the help of Ms Saba Sohail, Assistant Manager, Quality Assurance, Clinical lab. Healthcare professionals from a variety of specializations came together for the four-hour interactive event to hone their abilities in conducting meaningful clinical audits, a crucial instrument for promoting patient safety and continuous improvement.
Setting the Stage:
The session opened warmly with Dr. Erum Khan (Chairperson, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) who broke the ice and encouraged participants to share their expectations. The room quickly came alive with conversation.
Building the Foundation of Clinical Audits
The first talk by Dr. Sibtain Ahmed (Vice Chair Pathology and Laboratory Medicines) delved into the essence of “What is Clinical/Quality Improvement Audit?” — highlighting how audits differ from research and quality improvement projects yet serve as a bridge between the two.
Ms. Mashhooda Irfan (Manager, Quality Assurance Lab) drew attention to the importance of audits through the lens of regulatory standards.
Demystifying the Audit Cycle
Guiding participants through the core of the session, Ms. Saba Sohail, (Assistant manger, Quality Assurance Clinical Lab) presented “The Steps of the Clinical Audit Cycle.” Her session combined mini-lectures with real examples, demonstrating how each phase — from topic selection to re-audit — plays a crucial role in sustaining quality. Her engaging style kept participants attentive and inspired to apply these steps in their own departments.
Fun Meets Learning
The energy didn’t drop for a moment. Ms Saba Hameed led a lively Kahoot quiz, testing participants’ understanding in a fun, competitive way. It was proof that learning about audits could indeed be enjoyable!
From Learning to Doing
After a short tea break, the room transitioned from listening to doing. During the interactive brainstorming activity, facilitators Ms. Mashhooda Irfan, Ms. Saba Sohail, Ms. Bushra Ahmed, and Ms. Gulnaz Wahid, guided small groups through designing their own audit proposals. Laughter, debates, and lightbulb moments filled the room as participants worked together to translate concepts into real plans and presented
The workshop concluded with Mr. Waqar Ahmed Mirza (Director Laboratory) Closing remarks and Vote of Thanks to the speakers and facilitators — a gesture of appreciation for their dedication to cultivating a culture of continuous improvement.
Celebrating Teamwork and Achievement
Collective Step Forward
By the end of the day, participants walked away not just with knowledge, but with a renewed sense of purpose.
Through this workshop, our department reaffirmed its mission: “Improving today’s care to prevent tomorrow’s harm.”
