Question 1

Who should run this audit?

Accepted Answer

Doctors, IMTs, registrars, QI fellows, ward nurses, patient flow coordinators, discharge teams and diagnostic service colleagues are all well placed to run this audit. Include a named project lead, a consultant supervisor, a diagnostics or radiology lead, and a patient flow or discharge lead where possible.

Question 2

What permissions do I need?

Accepted Answer

Most organisations treat this as clinical audit or service evaluation and do not require ethics approval, but you must register the project with your local clinical audit or governance team before starting. Use only pseudonymised identifiers — do not enter NHS numbers, hospital numbers, names, addresses or dates of birth.

Question 3

How do I sample?

Accepted Answer

Use consecutive adult (≥ 16y) episodes over a defined period where an investigation was requested or should reasonably have been requested. A sample of 30–50 per ward or department gives a reasonable point estimate; 100+ across the organisation supports comparison by ward, specialty and investigation group.

Question 4

What does the tool measure?

Accepted Answer

Where in the diagnostic journey a delay occurred, why it occurred, whether it was recognised, documented and escalated, and what impact it had on diagnosis, treatment decisions, discharge readiness, length of stay, patient safety and patient experience.

Question 5

What happens after data collection?

Accepted Answer

The dashboard updates as episodes are added. Use the Findings tab to interpret results, the Improvement tab to plan actions and PDSA cycles, the Re-audit tab to plan the next cycle, and the Export centre to generate editable Word, PowerPoint, Excel and ARCP evidence outputs.

Question 6

Do I need to sign in to see the tool?

Accepted Answer

No. Authentication is handled at the main Lazomis QI website. Inside the tool you will already be in your authenticated workspace, or in demo mode with clearly labelled sample data.