Accreditation Standards Research Articles

Preparing for implementation of an entrustable professional activity assessment framework.

Following the adoption of competency-based education in dentistry in the 1990s, entrustable professional activities (EPAs) were introduced in the field of medicine in the mid-2000s to help educators better determine the competence of trainees. More recently, the field of dental education has begun exploring EPAs as a framework for assessing competence while ensuring compliance with accreditation standards. This paper explores one dental school's process of preparing for implementation of a major curriculum change using an EPA assessment framework, shifting away from the use of singular assessments for competency determination to a global and longitudinal approach using a constellation of data to determine practice readiness. This paper describes how the EPA framework was developed, including the complementary capacities, assessment tool development and programming, and data reporting to follow learner progression and determine practice readiness. We discuss lessons learned leading up to implementation, and we position this perspective as a space to describe opportunities and complexities to consider when using a longitudinal assessment system. We attend to the tension between the current language of Commission of Dental Accreditation Standards as "competencies" and the evolving conversation of operationalizing EPAs while addressing accreditation Standards. To do this, we describe the process of finalizing our EPA framework and preparing for initial implementation in a new curriculum.

The evidence base for US joint commission hospital accreditation standards: cross sectional study

ObjectiveTo evaluate the evidence upon which standards for hospital accreditation by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (the Joint Commission) are based.DesignCross sectional study.SettingUnited States.ParticipantsFour Joint Commission R3...

Effectiveness of the Use Hospital Information And Management System (SIMRS) For Services Based on Hot-Fit Theory

The use of a computer-based Hospital Information and Management System (SIMRS) in the Medical Record unit is carried out in an integrated manner. The data management process includes, among others, data collection (registration), data processing (assembling, coding, indexing), and data reporting. The SIMRS implementation at the general hospital of Az-Zahra has not yet been fully implemented. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the use of hospital information and management systems (SIMRS) for services at the general hospital of Az-Zahra Kalirejo through the HOT-FIT theory. This type of research was qualitative, the research design used exploratory with the objective of describing the effectiveness of the use of Hospital Information and Management systems for services at the general hospital of Az-Zahra Kalirejo. The population in this study was 134 people, and the sample in this study was 9 informants, namely the doctor in charge of services (DPJP), general practitioner and head of finance. The results of the study are known in the human aspect, SIMRS officers at the general hospital of Az-Zahra already understand how to use SIMRS, but for specialist doctors and general practitioners they are still assisted by nurses in inputting. In the organizational aspect, it is known that the directors, management and staff of the hospital fully support the use of SIMRS. The technology aspect of SIMRS at the general hospital of Az-Zahra is in accordance with the accreditation standards of the Hospital and Social Security Administrator’s Health, but often experiences problems with the internet network, which can interfere with the operation of using SIMRS. Researchers suggest that SIMRS training be held for general practitioners and specialists, as well as improving the internet network so that the connection is even better.

A Comparative Comparison of Accreditation Model of Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum in Iran, Canada and the United States

Introduction: Accreditation is one of the most important tools to improve the quality of education in nursing. This study has made a comparative comparison of the accreditation model of the Bachelor of Nursing training program in Iran, Canada and the United States.
 Methods: A descriptive and comparative study was conducted in 2021. keywords like "accreditation", "undergraduate nursing", "educational program or curriculum", "Canada", "Iran", and "America" were searched in Persian and English via relevant sites and the Bereday model in 4 stages of description, interpretation, proximity, and comparison was used for comparative comparison.
 Results: Accreditation in the Iranian model is more focused on managerial, structural and administrative standards. In the American model, it focuses on global developments in the field of health, providing educational programs with intercultural and transnational perspectives, interprofessional cooperation, distance education, evaluating learning outcomes and using its results in the development of education. The Canadian model focuses on participatory management, inspirational leadership, development of nursing professional competencies tailored to community health needs, team care in various areas of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, interprofessional training, independence and freedom of action in budgeting for faculty members.
 Conclusion: Between the three study models, the Canadian and American models totaly specializes in nursing, and of course the Canadian model is more comprehensive, and since there are no specific accreditation standards for nursing in Iran, these two programs can be used as a suitable model to be taken.

Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Trends in a Psychiatric Institute in Singapore.

To compare the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) between inpatients at the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore and the general population over 8 years to determine the effectiveness of our infection control strategies. Data for cases of influenza and URTI at our institute between January 2012 and December 2019 were collected. National data were derived from weekly infectious disease bulletins that report daily averages of people attending polyclinics/surgeries with influenza and URTI. Interrupted time series analyses were used to determine the impact of infection prevention and control strategies on incidence. Over the 8 years, there were 1607 cases of URTI involving 182 clusters, equal to 3.16 cases per 10 000 patient-bed-days. 965 (60%) cases and 95 (52%) clusters occurred in long-stay wards, whereas 642 (40%) cases and 87 (48%) clusters occurred in acute wards. The median cluster size was 12 in the long-stay wards and 7 in the acute wards (p < 0.0001). The spikes in cases in June and December may be attributed to the increased staff and visitor mobility during school vacations in June and December. Strategies implemented during the study period did not significantly reduce the incidence of URTI. Previous strategies implemented in 2005 to meet accreditation standards are more likely to be contributors. Infection control strategies of our institute appear to be effective, because the incidence of URTI was lower in our institute than in the community. The similar incidence of URTI in acute and long-stay wards indicates that service-user turnover is not a contributor. Rather, staff and visitors are more likely to be the vector. The larger clusters in long-stay wards indicates a greater risk of transmission in such settings. Increased activity in our institute during school vacations may be associated with an increase in cases in June and December. It is difficult to determine if strategies implemented during the study period successfully reduce the incidence of URTI.

How Do Accredited Organizations Evaluate the Quality and Effectiveness of Their Human Research Protection Programs?

Background Meaningfully evaluating the quality of institutional review boards (IRBs) and human research protection programs (HRPPs) is a long-recognized challenge. To be accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), organizations must demonstrate that they measure and improve HRPP “quality, effectiveness, and efficiency” (QEE). We sought to learn how AAHRPP-accredited organizations interpret and satisfy this standard, in order to assess strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in current approaches and to inform recommendations for improvement. Methods We conducted 3 small-group interviews with a total of 19 participant representatives of accredited organizations at the 2019 AAHRPP annual meeting. Participants were eligible if they had familiarity with their organization’s approach to satisfying the relevant QEE standard. Results Participants reported lacking clear definitions for HRPP quality or effectiveness but described various approaches to assessing QEE, typically focused on turnaround time, compliance, and researcher satisfaction. Evaluation of IRB members was described as relatively superficial and information regarding research subject experience was not reported as central to QEE assessment, although participants described several efforts to improve consideration of patient, subject, and community perspectives in IRB review. Participants also described efforts to educate and build relationships with key stakeholders as important features of a high-quality HRPP. While generally satisfied with their approaches, participants expressed concern about resource and time constraints that pushed them to be reactive and automatic about QEE, rather than proactive and critical. Conclusions The relevant AAHRPP accreditation standard may obscure critical gaps in defining and measuring QEE elements. We recommend that AAHRPP: (1) offer a definition of QEE or require accredited organizations to provide their own, to help clarify the rationale and goals behind assessment and improvement efforts, and (2) require accredited organizations to establish QEE objectives and measures focused on participant outcomes and deliberative quality during protocol review.

IS THE AACSB REQUIRING MEMBER SCHOOLS TO TEACH BAD ECONOMICS?

Current AACSB accreditation Standards require member institutions to incorporate the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into their curriculum. The problem with this requirement is that the SDG constitute mostly erroneous economics. Professors who must incorporate SDG into their courses are therefore forced to teach bad economics as a condition of continued accreditation. Professors can nullify this indoctrination requirement while meeting the AACSB requirement by pointing out and discussing some of the problems with the UN’s SDG agenda. The present article identifies and discusses some of these problems. It concludes that the AACSB needs to stop cramming its ideological preferences down the throats of business school professors and students and leave professors to teach, not indoctrinate. If the AACSB continues to go down the road of indoctrination over education, perhaps member schools need to reevaluate their AACSB membership and seek other alternatives, some of which are discussed in this article. Note to educators: You can meet this AACSB requirement by requiring your students to read this article and either discuss it in class or write a summary of its contents (noncredit or for extra credit).

Development of an Accreditation System for Evaluating Biomedical Scientific Associations Through a Participatory Process in Iran.

Background: Accreditation is used to monitor, guide, examine, and assure the quality of higher education. There is no formal evaluation system to ensure the quality and quantity of scientific associations’ activities. So this study aimed to develop and implement a national accreditation system to be applied for biomedical scientific associations through a participatory process among stakeholders. Methods: Consensus development techniques, i.e., focus group and Delphi methods, were used to design the accreditation system. An expert committee, set up at the recognized accreditation body, devised the accreditation structure, procedure, and permit rules using the focus group technique. Then, we prepared the standards draft which was further modified in an expert panel in focus group sessions and finalized among the stakeholders through the Delphi technique. Finally, the procedure was performed for 66 associations. Results: The accreditation structure, procedure, and standards were determined and legitimized. Standards included 20 ones in four domains of educational activities (3 standards), research affairs (2 standards), cross-sector collaborations (2 standards), and organization and equipment (13 standards). Among 66 associations, 16 and 12 were approved and conditionally approved respectively. Conclusion: In spite of associations’ influential academic and social activities, no study was found in regards to their accreditation. Standards devised in this research can be employed by scientific associations for developing their plans and enhancing their performance. This experience can be adopted for accrediting not only scientific associations but also any other academic institutions, especially non-student training ones.

An evaluation of the driving and restraining factors affecting the implementation of hospital accreditation standards: A force field analysis

ABSTRACT Background: Integrating accreditation standards in healthcare business operations is context-sensitive and affected by diverse factors. This study explored the driving and restraining factors influencing the implementation of accreditation standards in Saudi Arabian hospitals. Methods: A qualitative design using semi-structured in-depth interviews was employed. Twenty-seven hospital directors and 29 hospital quality directors were interviewed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. A force-field analysis framework was adopted to present a visual picture of the various factors influencing the implementation of hospital accreditation standards. Results: The analysis yielded 42 driving and restraining factors affecting the implementation of accreditation standards. The main drivers identified were teamwork, the quality mindset of leaders and staff, employing a continuous readiness model, and commitment toward customers. By contrast, insufficient manpower, infrastructural gaps, workforce recruitment challenges, variability among surveyors, the COVID-19 pandemic, limited financial support, and bureaucratic decision-making procedures were the main reported restrainers. At the national level, perceived restrainers pose a serious challenge to compliance with the existing accreditation model. Conclusion: Exploring the factors affecting accreditation standards implementation assists in assessing accreditation readiness, helps to prioritize efforts to strengthen drivers and weaken restrainers, and contributes to the institutionalization of accreditation standards.

National health workforce accreditation and regulation in Palestine: a qualitative assessment

BackgroundThe Health Workforce Accreditation and Regulation (HWAR) is a set of policies and processes designed to improve the quality of health services and the performance of health professionals. Various efforts were implemented, mainly by WHO, to advance and strengthen practices and activities of HWAR. In Palestine, HWAR seems to be lagging and to require strengthening at both national policy and institutional levels, based on local evidence. HWAR is rarely investigated in Palestine and possibly also in the Eastern Mediterranean. We aimed to assess the current status of HWAR in Palestine, to identify the challenges, and to propose useful policy and technical actions for the effectiveness of HWAR. MethodsWe did a qualitative assessment with a purposive sampling strategy to identify key informants from health authorities and institutions in government institutions (Palestinian Ministry of Health and National Legislative Council), academia (universities), and private and non-governmental organisations. Ethical and administration approvals were obtained from the Helsinki Committee at the Palestinian Health Research Council. The study was implemented from mid-October to mid-November, 2019. 22 in-depth interviews were done with key personnel from leadership and policy levels, including health policy makers, experts, and academics (six female, 16 male). Open questions in the interviews covered HWAR domains: conceptual, governance and policy, technical practices, resource and capacity, and gaps and solutions. Triangulated qualitative methods (thematic and ground theory) were used for data analysis and management. FindingsWe found a lack of understanding of HWAR, and perceptions of HWAR were inconsistent. Despite the existence of a strong legal framework for HWAR and an abundance of untapped skillful health workers, graduates, and students in Palestine and abroad, the majority of participants had a negative view of HWAR, perceiving it as fragmented, poorly regulated, and poorly coordinated. The governing system for HWAR was described as having no specific body or no clear mechanisms of operation. Interviewees reported that some existing accreditation and regulatory standards are well applied but that most need to be updated, reviewed, and enforced at a larger scale. They also reported that HWAR regulatory, executive, and education stakeholders have no consensus on HWAR governance, which is driven by individual initiatives and capacity rather than a systematic evidence-based approach. Overall, the participants described HWAR practices and resources as of low quality. Benefits of a well-established HWAR system and mechanism were suggested, such as an increase in the quality of services, patient safety, trust, and satisfaction with the performance of health system, and a reduction in resource waste. Factors affecting HWAR and the challenges for its implementation were identified—eg, political instability, deficit of education and training, shortage of resources and capacities, and lack of governance and oversight. Actionable solutions at the level of the health system, institutions, and individuals were proposed, establishing a unified and effective HWAR governance structure, policy and regulations, and guidelines and standards for practices. InterpretationInterviewees emphasised the importance of HWAR as a key pillar of health system governance for improving health care and achieving universal health coverage. HWAR national policy and guidelines need substantial reform to tackle poor implementation, communication, standardisation, monitoring, and evaluation. Stakeholders, ministries, syndicates, and academic institutions should work together through an integrated national accreditation and regulation system. Interviewees suggested that system reform must be driven by a common vision, well-established guidelines, and an accreditation and regulation policy for better awareness, best practices, and effective mechanisms. FundingNone.

Association between hospital accrediting agencies and hospital outcomes of care in the United States

Background: Hospital accreditation standards function as the structure to which hospitals must meet to receive reimbursement. There are four independent hospital accrediting organizations in the United States: The Joint Commission, Det Norske Veritas Healthcare (DNV), the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ), and the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP).

Perbedaan Mutu Pelayanan Kesehatan Terhadap Puskesmas Terakreditasi Puskesmas Dan Puskesmas Tidak Terakreditasi Di Kabupaten Kolaka Utara Tahun 2021

Accreditation is an acknowledgment given by an independent institution that administers the accreditation which is determined after meeting the accreditation standards. The purpose of the study was to determine the difference in the quality of health services to accredited and unaccredited health centers. This research was carried out in North Kolaka Regency. The type of research that will be used is quantitative research with a comparative approach, which is to compare two groups with certain variables. The results showed that the average quality of health services in accredited health centers was 85.17, with a standard deviation of 6,304, a minimum value of 70 and a maximum value of 94, the average quality of health services in unaccredited health centers was 66.65, with a standard deviation deviation of 5.252, a minimum value of 56 and a maximum value of 79 and there is a difference in the quality of health services for accredited health centers and unaccredited health centers with a value of = 0.000 where &lt; (α = 0.05) in North Kolaka Regency in 2021. Suggestions in research are that it can become information material for puskesmas to be able to improve the quality of health services provided to be even better, can be additional reading in the library and is expected to add insight to readers, especially regarding accreditation and quality of health services at health centers and can provide useful information to increase knowledge and encourage and help further research in terms of developing research methods.

Impact of Collaborative Inpatient Pairing Between Pharmacy Students and Family Medicine Residents on Perceptions of Interprofessional Care.

Interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice increasingly inform accreditation standards for pharmacy and medical education, grounded in evidence of benefits to patients and learners. Optimizing models that meaningfully provide this type of practice remains a challenge. This study examines the impact of inpatient collaboration between pharmacy students and family medicine residents on perceptions of interprofessional care. Pharmacy students and family medicine residents were invited to participate in an IPE experience during their medicine rotation, in which student-resident pairs worked collaboratively on patient care for a block rotation. We used a Student Perceptions of Physician-Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education Instrument (SPICE-2) survey instrument and included an opportunity for open comments by participants. We performed statistical analysis using paired t tests. We observed statistically significant changes (P<.05) in four of the 10 survey items for pharmacy students and two out of 10 in family medicine residents. Narrative comments provided by both students and residents were positive regarding the IPE experience. This pilot provides preliminary evidence to support an IPE care model that integrates pharmacy students by pairing them with family medicine residents on an inpatient adult family medicine teaching service. Implementation of a paired-IPE model changed both professions' perception of their roles within the team and appreciation of training requirements. Larger studies could be done to further evaluate the outcomes of this and similar models.

Associations Between Local Health Department Expenditures on Foundational Capabilities and PHAB Accreditation Standards Scores.

ContextFoundational Capabilities (FC) are the public health (PH) infrastructure areas that are essential for local health departments (LHDs) to support a “minimum package” of programs and services that promote population health. Despite being a critical component of LHD programs, FC are chronically underfunded, and studies specific to the relationship between LHD FC expenditures and their performance—the LHDs' ability to provide essential PH programs and services to their community—have not been previously reported. Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation is a nationally recognized accreditation program for PH agencies. PHAB accreditation assesses LHDs' performance against sets of standards that are based on the 10 essential PH services. Alignment between FC and the PHAB standards presents a means for assessing LHD FC expenditures relative to their performance in PHAB accreditation standards.ObjectivesWe examined the association between LHD total FC expenditures, as well as FC funding allocation patterns, and performance score on selected PHAB accreditation standards.MethodsWe used Bayesian regression methods to estimate the coefficients for the aggregate performance score, and performance scores on individual PHAB standards.ResultsAnalyses showed that a dollar increase in total FC expenditures is associated with a 0.2% increase in the aggregate performance score in selected PHAB standards as well as the performance score on most of the standards examined. LHDs that allocated FC budgets more evenly across FC programs were found to be more likely to have higher scores.ConclusionsInvestment in FC could improve LHD performance scores in PHAB accreditation standards and support LHDs' capability for improving community health outcomes. Allocating available FC resources across the various FC programs could support better LHD performance, as indicated by accreditation scores. This study contributes to advancing the understanding of public health finances in relation to performance and could help guide effective LHD resource allocation.

Interval cancers as related to frequency of recall to assessment in the South Australian population-based breast screening program: An exploratory study

Australian accreditation standards specify upper limits for percentages of women recalled for further assessment following screening mammography. These limits have been unchanged since national screening commenced circa 1990, although screening target ages have changed, and technology from analogue to digital mammography. This study compared 2804 women with interval cancers diagnosed since national screening began (cases) with 14,020 cancer-free controls (5 controls per case), randomly selected after matching by age, round, screen type and calendar year of screening episode, to determine the odds of interval cancer by differences in clinic recall to assessment percentages. Within low numbers of recalls that were within accepted accreditation ranges, results did not indicate more frequent recalls to assessment to be associated with fewer interval cancers in the analogue era. However, more frequent recalls were associated with reduced interval cancers for digital screens. These results are not conclusive, requiring confirmation in other screening environments, especially those with larger numbers of digital screens. If confirmed, frequency of recalls to assessment may need adjustment to get the best trade-offs in the digital era between reduced odds of interval cancers from more recalls and increases in financial and non-financial costs, including increased potential for overdiagnosis.

Factors affecting compliance with national accreditation essential safety standards in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Accreditation is a widespread culture internationally and nationally. The effectiveness of compliance with accreditation standards was positively correlated with health care settings’ performance in multiple aspects: leadership, professional performance, patient safety and organizational culture. There is limited knowledge of the national compliance rate with accreditation standards. Therefore, it is important to assess the hospital compliance with accreditation rate in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia (KSA) and its related factors. This paper presents a quantitative cross-sectional study. Data were extracted from the annual Essential Safety Requirement (ESR) survey database from the Central Board for Accreditation of Health care Institutions (CBAHI) research center during the period 2016 to 2018. Hospitals that started their operation after the first ESR survey round in 2016 or shut down during the study period were excluded. The hospital scoring was on a scale of 0 to 100 and classified as follows: score 2 if the hospital satisfactory compliance (Fully Met) was ≥ 80% and score 1 if particular compliance (Partially Met) was ≥ 50% to < 80%. Then, a score of 0 indicated insufficient compliance (Not Met) when < 50% and a score of not applicable (NA) if the standard does not apply to the hospital. A total of 437 hospitals were surveyed in 20 regions in the KSA and had an overall compliance rate on average that was higher among private hospitals than among public hospitals (77% vs. 66%). Overall, private hospitals had a significantly better compliance rate than public hospitals (mean rate = 84% vs. 68%, respectively, P = 0.019). Large hospitals had more compliance with some standards than smaller hospitals. After adjusting for the year of the survey report, the private hospital type was more compliant than the public hospital. This study supports mandatory accreditation programs for both public and private health sectors, with increased monitoring by the concerned parties (i.e., CBAHI and the Ministry of Health). The authors encourage the application of accreditation for specialized and independent health services.

Measurement uncertainty for practical use

Uncertainty is an inseparable part of all kinds of measurements performed in clinical laboratories. Accreditation standards including the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 15189:2012 require that laboratories have routines for calculating the measurement uncertainty of reported results. Various guidelines such as CLSI EP29, Nordest 537, and ISO 20914:2019 have proposed methods for this purpose. However, due to the conceived complexity of the proposed calculation methods, these guidelines have not been generally and effectively applied in clinical laboratories. High workload and measurand heterogeneity favor a pragmatic utilitarian approach. The purpose of this paper is to describe such an approach, including its advantages and disadvantages.Measurement uncertainty should include the most influential factors affecting patients’ test results. Since patients’ samples for the same measurand can be analyzed in one laboratory or several laboratories using different measuring systems, the measurement uncertainty should be calculated using results obtained from analyzing the same internal quality control material if commutable or patients pooled/split samples.

M227 Development research on the evaluation and management standards for NGS clinical laboratory accreditation

M227 Development research on the evaluation and management standards for NGS clinical laboratory accreditation

Overview of the Revised Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Entry-to-Practice Nurse Residency Program Accreditation Standards.

Overview of the Revised Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Entry-to-Practice Nurse Residency Program Accreditation Standards.

Blockchain Technologies and Digitalization in Function of Student Work Evaluation

Following COVID-19, new accreditation standards include digitization, entrepreneurship, social inclusion and the circular economy. Blockchain can help to simplify difficult accreditation processes that ensure worldwide teaching, learning, practice and business communication excellence. The paper proposes a Collaborative Learning and Student Work Evaluation (CLSWE) model based on blockchain technologies (BCTs) encompassing selected concepts from the scientific research peer-review process. BCTs are used to develop a safe platform for storing and exchanging data about students’ projects and evaluations. The CLSWE model offers the possibility of improving cooperation between higher-education institutions and companies that seek the “employable skills” of proactive students. Before implementing the CLSWE model, a questionnaire was conducted to survey lecturers about their attitudes related to the potential application of BCTs. The results of the surveys are encouraging and reveal a desire and willingness to introduce BCTs in education. A project scheme with the main functionalities of the model and a description of the roles of the prominent participants was designed. A platform with a database created in the MySQL language for the testing model was built. This research also contributes to higher education literature in terms of the sustainability of the education process and collaborative learning with BCTs.