Hospital Accreditation
The need for quality improvement and risk reduction is not a new concept, yet the need for it to bring about efficiency and effectiveness seems to be for many countries who have yet to adjust their systems to incorporate it. Whether this is down to lack of education and understanding of the benefits remains uncertain but what can't be ignored is the fact that the industry has reached a point whereby patients are looking upon the accreditation process as a sound and logical way of screening hospitals.
As countries worldwide are experiencing the benefits of Health tourism, it has become clear that accreditation is the fundamental basis that is a must-have for hospitals to rope in the trust of not only those tourists embarking on cross-border healthcare, but also of the domestic citizens.
Accreditation is not a simple process and requires a number of elements and stakeholders to join together in order for it to be successful. It requires commitment from the leadership committee all the way down the pyramid to the staff members. It requires the restructuring and allocation of resources, the recruitment of new staff, the redesign of systems, a proactive culture and involvement from healthcare professionals as well as an ongoing monitoring system and periodic re-evaluations. Yes, there are a lot of "requirement" but more importantly is the fact that the process is more than worthwhile, with benefits outweighing everything else.
So what are the benefits? With Accreditation, healthcare institutions gain recognition by meeting certain international standards and undergoing continuous improvements not only in respect to their structures and processes but also to their outcomes. Accreditation may be focused in its objectives, yet to meet those objectives requires focus on hundreds of elements such as the patient journey and experience, clinical services and corporate &clinical governance.
Hospitals benefit from accreditation through the improvement of care and the increase in patient confidence. Accreditation is all about continuous improvement, commitment to quality care and the need to compare self with other similar institutions in order to continuously learn and grow. All these elements that form the basis of the accreditation process also make it unavoidable to experience all these benefits stated above.
It's not only the organization that benefits as a whole, but the Medical/Nursing staff also benefit from it through the notion of staff development. The accreditation process incorporates the need to educate the staff on consensus standards and quality improvement within medicine and nursing, increases satisfaction with working conditions and ensures that leadership and accountability is in place.
For a hospital to function efficiently and effectively requires its Employees to be satisfied and enthusiastic with their work and the environment that surrounds them. As a result a component of the international standards focuses on a number of things such as valuing employee opinions, measuring their satisfaction, involving them in quality activities, improving employee safety and security, promoting teamwork and ensuring that there are clearer lines of authority and accountability. All these elements are essential in guaranteeing that hospital employees remain satisfied, and when not, that communication barriers are broken allowing them to speak their mind.
Patients benefit from certified healthcare institutions by having access to a quality and safety focused organization. The standards ensure that patient rights are protected and respected ad that their satisfaction is evaluated. Perhaps mot importantly is the fact that patients are educated from the beginning of the care process in order to increase communication between doctor and patient, and also involve them in care decision making.
At this point in timeit isthe perfect situation to start considering accreditation as a necessary tool in reducing risk and continuously upping the standards in the delivery of care. It is vital that we see accreditation standards as a framework by which organizational processes will be improved by being of higher quality and of a safer nature for the patients. Accreditation isn't an obstruction, but is a tool for improvement and better management
