The ESR is pleased to announce that the Department of Radiology at the University of Debrecen, Kenézy Hospital, Hungary has integrated the ESR’s clinical audit tool Esperanto into their quality assurance system. Alongside this integration, the department has produced a Hungarian translation of Esperanto so that other radiology departments in Hungary can utilise the guide. This application of Esperanto into a clinical setting is a perfect demonstration of the ESR’s vision for the tool and highlights its value to European radiology departments.
“Esperanto is a very useful resource for radiologists as an explanation of why and how clinical audit should be performed,” stated Prof. Adrian Brady, ESR President and former Chair of the ESR Quality, Safety and Standards Committee. “Furthermore, its audit templates can be used to guide users through many different audits, familiarising them with the process while simultaneously supporting quality initiatives. The ESR applauds our Hungarian colleagues in making Esperanto available in their own language, and in supporting improved uptake of clinical audit across Europe.”
Esperanto was first published in 2016, with a second and third edition being published in 2019 and 2022 respectively. The goal of the guide is to increase awareness and understanding of clinical audit, encourage and support clinical audit practices and encourage compliance with radiation protection and BSSD standards in radiology departments throughout Europe.
Clinical audit helps identify areas of improvement, supports compliance with regulatory requirements, and promotes a culture of continuous quality improvement and accountability. Earlier this year, the results of the ESR-led QuADRANT project, run on behalf of the European Commission, found that national clinical audit and infrastructure required further development in many countries with support from national professional societies. These findings, which can be found here, highlighted a need for enhanced clinical audit uptake and implementation across Europe in order to improve patient safety and outcomes.
Esperanto is an important resource in supporting these objectives, offering radiologists a comprehensive framework, specific templates, and clear understanding of different audit types,in order to develop effective clinical audit processes and practices.
The Hungarian version of Esperanto is now available on the ESR website here.