Video summary

3°COHORTE MÓDULO 1 SEMANA 3: Clase asincrónica Dra. Cecilia Sarmiento

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main Ideas & Lessons

  • Who the speaker is / context

    • Dr. Cecilia Sarmiento introduces herself as a family physician and specialist in health systems auditing, with experience in health financing and quality systems for over 30 years.
    • The lesson focuses on the characteristics an auditor in health systems should have.

  • What an audit means (definition and purpose)

    • The term “audit” has a dual origin:
      • Latin origin related to listening/hearing (“to listen”).
      • English origin from “to audit” meaning to review accounts.
    • In practice, auditing is described as:
      • Listening to/observing a situation compared against a technically and administratively regulated reference framework using pre-established parameters and indicators.
    • By auditing service quality, auditors produce:
      • A diagnosis that leads to plans and suggestions for improvement.
      • A better understanding of the conditions under which professional work is carried out.

  • Core auditor characteristics (skills, behavior, and competencies)

    • Ethical profile
      • Act with loyalty, sincerity, and good faith.
      • Maintain high ethical standards and integrity due to the sensitivity and confidentiality of medical/health information.
      • Remain impartial, fair, equitable, and follow codes and rules.
    • Specialized knowledge
      • Deep understanding of health systems and services, including:
        • Regulations and quality standards
        • Clinical and administrative procedures
    • Analytical skills
      • Analyze complex data.
      • Evaluate efficiency, effectiveness, and regulatory compliance.
    • Attention to detail
      • Detect inconsistencies, errors, and areas for improvement.
    • Communication skills (oral and written)
      • Provide feedback effectively, emphasizing:
        • Observe and listen before giving feedback
      • Prepare messages to avoid offense and be judicious about findings.
      • When writing, review to ensure certainty and avoid leaving doubts.
    • Adaptability
      • Be flexible to respond to changing situations and directives.
      • Adapt to new technologies and new regulatory requirements in healthcare.
    • Teamwork / interdisciplinary approach
      • Audits must not be only medical/pharmaceutical/biochemical; they are interdisciplinary.
      • Use multidisciplinary teams to solve problems and improve quality.
      • The audit structure depends on contributions from multiple professionals for:
        • What is collected
        • What feedback is provided
    • Technical competence
      • Master tools and audit methodologies specific to the health sector.
      • Ensure evaluations are accurate and relevant.

  • Overall objectives and how audits should function

    • The objective of audits is to search for and evaluate levels of efficiency across health service delivery.
    • Auditors should maintain a relationship to their role and entity through:
      • Professional ethics
      • Discretion
      • A “controller’s profile”
      • Managing a level of excellence
      • Performing well from the first time
    • Audits are positioned as:
      • Corrective rather than punitive
      • Not mandatory nor censorious
      • Intended for keeping and improving quality standards of medical care
    • Auditors should remember they are:
      • Evaluated by peers
      • Should not confront each other
      • Audits rely on teamwork, not confrontation, and should focus on improvement.

Methodology / Instructional Elements (as Presented)

During the Audit (behavioral approach)

  • Observe and listen before providing feedback.
  • Use careful, prepared communication to avoid offense.
  • When writing findings:
    • Review to express conclusions with certainty and no ambiguity.

How Auditing Should Be Carried Out Structurally

  • Conduct audits as interdisciplinary/interprofessional teamwork (not single-discipline).
  • Form multidisciplinary teams so that different professionals contribute to:
    • Evidence collection
    • Interpretation and feedback

Purpose Orientation

  • Keep audits corrective:
    • Identify issues and guide improvement of quality standards
    • Avoid a censorious/punitive framing

Speakers / Sources Featured

  • Dr. Cecilia Sarmiento (primary speaker)

Original video