The standard of healthcare accreditation standards: a review of empirical research underpinning their development and impact
Courtesy : bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com
Background
Healthcare accreditation standards are advocated as an important means of improving clinical practice and organisational performance. Standard development agencies have documented methodologies to promote open, transparent, inclusive development processes where standards are developed by members. They assert that their methodologies are effective and efficient at producing standards appropriate for the health industry. However, the evidence to support these claims requires scrutiny. The study’s purpose was to examine the empirical research that grounds the development methods and application of healthcare accreditation standards.
Methods
A multi-method strategy was employed over the period March 2010 to August 2011. Five acad...