Comparison of NABH and AB-PMJAY Quality Standards for Accreditation in a Tertiary Care Medical hospital

Abstract

Background: Quality Improvement (QI) is the organised approach to design and apply constant development inperformance. QI in hospitals increase patient satisfaction, staff satisfaction as well as the quality of care providedby an organisation. In India quality of hospitals is assessed by different standards which primarily included thoselaid down by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), which were introducedin 2006 by Quality Council of India (QCI). In 2018, National Health Authority (NHA), introduced AyushmanBharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB – PMJAY) Quality Certification standards, in collaboration withQuality Council of India (QCI), for enhancing patient satisfaction and improving quality standards across thehospitals.Objectives: The study was carried out with the objective to compare the AB-PMJAY Gold standard with NABH 5thEdition, and to identify challenges faced by hospitals for ensuring compliance to these standards.Methods: The study design was descriptive cross sectional and was carried in a multi-specialty hospital inRajasthan in 2022. The study was carried out with the objective to find out similarities and differences in ABPMJAYand NABH standards. All the 5 chapters (Key Inputs, Clinical Service, Support Services, Patient Care,Health Outcomes) and 53 quality standards of AB-PMJAY were included in the study. Similarly, all the 10 chaptersof NABH 5th Edition, including all 100 standards and objective elements were 651 were included in the study.The study was carried out in quality department of a hospital for preparing the hospital team for NABH and ABPMJAYaccreditation.Results: It is found that AB-PMJAY broadly covers all the quality standards of NABH. Some of the challengesidentified in implementation of NABH standards were that it requires more documentation, skilled staff, trainingneed with skilled trainer/coordinator, and the NABH standards are very elaborative and descriptive. Thechallenges in implementation of AB-PMJAY Gold standards were that to achieve them, hospital have to makeimprovement in their structural, procedural, and clinical outcomes. The similarities of the standards were thatboth AB-PMJAY and NABH are constituent board of Quality Council of India (QCI), and both have common targetof improving patient’s safety and quality of care. The differences include that in more documentation is required in NABH in compared to AB-PMJAY, NABH requires skilled staff, it is more descriptive and elaborative, andhospitals require certified NABH co-ordinator for implement NABH standards. NABH comprises of indicatorsand AB-PMJAY says to do things. There are more financial resources required in implementation of NABH.Conclusion: The hospital’s with NABH’s full accreditation can directly apply for AB-PMJAY Gold qualitycertification.