In the foreword, Professsor Robert Howard writes: ‘A psychiatrist who cannot show that he or she has been involved in audit is going to be in difficulties.’ This statement rings true for trainees and consultants alike who will have to undergo annual review of competence progression and revalidation, both expecting audit involvement. However, finding a topic to audit that is interesting, relevant and achievable within clinical practice can sometimes be difficult. This book aims to ‘ease the audit process’ by providing tried and tested audit recipes and step-by-step advice on how to carry them out in clinical practice.

The book starts with a clear definition of the audit cycle and the importance of audit. Then a whole section is devoted to distinguishing between audit and research. Several of my colleagues have started out doing what they think is an audit only to find out later that what they have found and presented is in fact research. This section is particularly helpful in separating the two and avoiding this confusion.

The following chapter presents an 11-step plan on how to complete the audit cycle. The information at each step, although very precise and detailed, at no point felt overwhelming. The chapter as a whole allows even the beginner to understand the process involved in producing a well-designed, interesting and useful audit which will lead to improvement in patient care.

As the title infers, the remainder of the book is devoted to 101 tried and tested, ‘real life’ audits which are presented as easy-to-follow recipes. The audits themselves cover a broad range of issues, including disorders, legislation, physical health, training and service provision. With such a variety of topics there is something to interest every level of psychiatrist. The recipes detail the setting, background, standards, method, resources required, results and recommendations for each audit. The resources section is particularly useful as it gives the number of people needed to carry out the audit and the amount of time taken to complete it. This book is a valuable resource for anybody involved in undertaking an audit as part of their continuing professional development. It can be dipped in and out of time and time again and I know I have already bookmarked several pages.