retrospective chart audit /-spek″tiv/ [L, retro + spicere, to look] , a format for an audit developed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The audit involves several steps that outline a procedure for evaluating the effectiveness of the care given at a particular institution and for correcting any deficiencies found by reviewing the patient’s records after discharge and comparing the data with standards held to be adequate by the Commission.
