In accordance with Article 33u (1)(2) of the Act – Atomic Law (consolidated text Dz. U. of 2021, item 1941) healthcare facilities that apply diagnostic radiology procedures are subject to external clinical audits.

Pursuant to Article 33u (2) healthcare facilities that perform activities which involve exposure but cover only dental radiology or bone dosimetry using x-ray equipment that can be used exclusively for such purposes have been exempted from external clinical audits.

An external clinical audit is carried out by the committee for procedures and external clinical audits (committee for procedures and audits) assisted by a two- or three-person audit team appointed by this committee (Article 33w (1) of the Act).

Not later than two months before the starting date of the audit, members of the audit team who will carry out the audit are being appointed in a healthcare facility (Article 33w (2) of the Act). Not later than 14 days before the starting date of the audit, the committee for procedures and audits notifies the healthcare facility of its intention to carry out the external clinical audit and the scope thereof (Article 33w (5) of the Act). Maximum time of activities connected with external clinical audit in a healthcare facility is 3 days (Article 33w (6) of the Act).

Members of the audit team (auditors) carry out the external clinical audit on the basis of written authorisations issued on their names by the chairman of the appropriate committee for procedures and audits (Article 33w (12) of the Act).

Within 14 days of the completion of an external clinical audit, the audit team drafts an audit report and immediately submits it to the head of the audited healthcare facility and to the chairman of the committee for procedures and external clinical audits. A healthcare facility which has been audited may submit reservations to the audit report to the chairman of the committee of procedures and audits within 14 days of the receipt of the report. The committee for procedures and audits may decide to positively consider or reject reservations submitted by the audited facility.

If reservations to the report are positively considered, the chairman of the committee for procedures and audits instructs the audit team to include the reservations into the report within a specified deadline not longer, however, than 14 days.

If reservations to the report are rejected, the committee for procedures and audits drafts a written justification for the rejection and immediately passes it on to the head of the audited healthcare facility.

After the reservations to the report have been positively considered or rejected as well as when no reservations have been submitted, the audit report becomes final. The final report and written justification of the rejection of reservations to the report are immediately transferred by the chairman of the committee for procedures and audits to the National Centre for Radiation Protection in Health Care (Article 33w (13 – 19) of the Act).

Costs of the external clinical audit shall be paid by the healthcare facility before the start of the auditing procedure (Article 33w (22 – 23) of the Act).