Benefits of International Healthcare Accreditation: A client survey case study

Introduction

Healthcare accreditation aims to support organizations to improve patient and staff safety with a focus on patient-centred care and the efficient use of resources as well as the overall performance in the provision of safe and effective medical and non-clinical services.

Whereas the international bibliography refers to these general benefits of accreditation, there is little knowledge about how accreditation helps the individual healthcare organization in their daily routine, how accreditation is perceived and adds value to the organization after the accreditation onsite visit has been completed and how the accreditation body could further support the organization on the course of the accreditation cycle.

Aim

To proactively support healthcare organizations in their efforts to achieve accreditation and improve staff and patient safety, as well as to accompany them in the best possible way during the accreditation cycle, it is crucial to learn about the client’s expectations, experience, and value-added, but also where and how the accreditation body can further support the improvement initiatives. 

The objective of this case study was to identify the main benefits of the Temos accreditation program as well as current challenges for clients in different parts of the world post-accreditation after one year as part of the annual follow-up and to use the feedback for continuous quality improvement within Temos as an organization as well as of the accreditation program, its standards, communication  with and support of clients, and others.

Method

From September 2023 to July 2024, a client survey was conducted as part of the annual follow-up assessments. The following questions were added to the questionnaire for Temos accredited partners to evaluate the benefits and expectations of post-award:

   1. How did you benefit from your Temos   (re)accreditation?

  2. What has changed?

  3. What could be improved?

The feedback from 14 healthcare organizations was included in this case study and grouped where applicable.The survey is ongoing and the outcome is continuously assessed and updated.

Conclusions

Healthcare organizations have different expectations about how accreditation should support their efforts during the preparation phase, the onsite visit, and post-accreditation.

In addition to the published benefits in the international literature, e.g. quality improvement patient safety, and efficiency/process optimization, which were confirmed by the participating organizations in this survey, staff awareness, commitment, and involvement are seen as the main benefits of the accreditation. Furthermore, international recognition, and the communicated trust by patients, relatives, and players after receiving the accreditation award are mentioned as beneficial specifically by dental clinics.

Although the sample size is not representative, this case study suggests that accreditation bodies benefit from regular client surveys to understand the needs and receive valuable feedback for improvement. This case study found that access to the international healthcare community, international visibility, support for business development, staff awareness and commitment, as well as continuous professional development of staff, are perceived as beneficial and should be considered by accreditation bodies in their efforts to support healthcare providers during their accreditation journey.

Contact

Temos International Healthcare Accreditation

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