Global monitoring of positive surgical outcome: a feasibility study at the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital.

We present early results of a study looking at the feasibility of positive outcome 'monitoring' after every operation at the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital. A system for quantitative 'measurement' of outcome after every operation is still light years away, and as a result audit of outcome has lagged behind audit of structure and process. Our 'monitoring' approach involves simply documenting, for every patient, whether the individual goal of the operation has or has not been achieved. Piloting this system over a 6-month period in 1993 suggests that it is feasible and useful, providing the results are used as pointers to more detailed study, rather than as endpoints in themselves.