Quality Council Research Articles

Sowing the Seed

The history and mission of Burman University, a small faith-based post-secondary institution located in Lacombe, Alberta, is a story of faith and optimism. Its story can be best understood within the history and ethos of Seventh-day Adventist higher education. As the school was established in 1907, it has transformed itself through several stages into a university with programs fully approved by Campus Alberta Quality Council. For more than a century the institution has resided on the “hilltop” and has seen many alumni make positive impact in the world. The institution has experienced challenges, has worked through them with resilience, while maintaining its strong Christian ethos. As the campus statue of The Sower illustrates, seeds that have been sown on campus have resulted in reapings of generations of young people whose lives have been transformed and who, in turn, have helped transform the world.

A protocol to study the impact of implementation of National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) standards among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital in India

Background: The healthcare system is now transforming widely with new technology including the introduction of a variety of medical gadgets, clinical trials, telemedicine, health insurance, health tourism, and outsourcing programs. Recent research focused on the quality of healthcare has proved useful for evaluating satisfaction and improvement of services in an organization. The World Medical Assembly asserts that in order to enhance patient outcomes on an individual level and community health, healthcare providers and organizations have an ethical and professional commitment to continuously improve the quality of services and patient safety. The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers - Quality Council of India - (NABH) formed a constituent board to design and oversee an accreditation scheme for healthcare institutions to ensure the quality of care. Healthcare accreditation organizations and certification programs have progressed international efforts to raise the standard of healthcare since the 1970s. The accreditation process, which is carried out by qualified external peer reviewers, allows a healthcare organization to be officially recognized for achieving performance standards. The objectives of this protocol are to understand the perception and impact of healthcare workers towards implementation of NABH standards and to study the impact of pre and post assessment of NABH with the help of 10 important key performance indicators in hospitals. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design will be adopted in the study. It includes collection of data from the medical record department records for pre-assessment and direct questionnaire to the participants for post-assessment of NABH standards. The pre-assessment data of quality indicators will be collected from the previous records of NABH files from the quality assurance department. Expected result: The expected result of the study will identify the different impacts of implementation of NABH standards after pre and post assessment in an organization.

The leadership role of THEQC in the development of quality assurance system in higher education in Türkiye

Higher education, which has a wide stakeholder structure with many actors at different levels, from international organizations to students, has a complex structure in which various actors are intertwined. Quality assurance is one of the policy areas that represents this complexity with many stakeholders at the international, national and institutional level. Quality assurance is an important issue in the Turkish higher education system and improvements are needed in this area. Massification and internationalization activities in higher education have brought quality problems to the fore. It is important to design a quality assurance system so that Türkiye can compete internationally and achieve qualitative growth.
 The focus of this study is the institutional leadership role of the Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC). It is important for THEQC to assume an effective leadership role in the development and implementation of quality assurance processes. The aim of the study is to analyze the quality processes in higher education and develop recommendations based on this in the center of the institutional leadership role of YÖKAK in the quality assurance system.Within the scope of the study, the development and implementation of quality assurance in the Turkish higher education system, the issues that should be done during the development phase in order to respond qualitatively to the quantitative development of quality assurance processes, and the improvement of the current leadership role of YÖKAK were emphasized. Document analysis method was used in the study. The institutional leadership role in quality processes has been tried to be interpreted by reviewing the provisions in the Constitution on the basis of the duties and responsibilities of CHE, and the regulation and other institutional or text-based documents regarding the quality assurance system for the development of the quality assurance system.

QI/PI: POSNA Safe Surgery Program (PSSP)—First-Year Results Implementing Quality Metrics

Background: Ranking of orthopaedic programs by external organizations is expanding to pediatric orthopaedics. These external organizations rarely consult pediatric orthopaedists themselves; therefore, POSNA members strongly supported the creation of a new performance evaluation. As a result, POSNA developed a member-driven process for driving quality improvements in pediatric orthopaedics: the POSNA Safe Surgery Program (PSSP). The PSSP aims to develop key quality metrics that members believe improve outcomes in pediatric orthopaedics. This paper aims to summarize the first year of implementing the PSSP quality metrics.Methods: The POSNA Quality, Safety, and Value Initiative (QSVI) Council developed 20 PSSP quality metrics for five domains: sports medicine, trauma, spine, hip/lower extremity (LE), and hand/upper extremity (UE). The quality metrics were integrated into five online surveys (one per domain) and distributed to POSNA member orthopaedic centers across North America.Results: Thirty-three POSNA member orthopaedic centers responded to at least one domain-specific survey. Spine had the highest response rate (88%), while hand/UE and hip/LE had the lowest (70% and 73%, respectively). Centers meeting each quality metric ranged from 65% to 92% in sports medicine, 62% to 100% in trauma, 79% to 100% in spine, 83% to 96% in hip/LE, and 83% to 100% in hand/UE. Large and very large centers, as well as specialized children's hospitals, provided more detailed protocols and procedures, likely due to greater resources and specialization. There was nearly 100% agreement between centers on protocols with well-known, easy-to-follow checklists for fulfilling a quality metric.Conclusions: The primary goal of the PSSP is to create internally developed, surgeon-driven quality metrics that determine high-quality care. By using these quality metrics and reports, we hope surgeons can gain institutional resources to drive improvements in their centers. In its first year, the PSSP demonstrated that these quality metrics can be successfully distributed and reviewed by POSNA members. Our future work will focus on expanding the PSSP to more pediatric orthopaedic centers, iteratively evaluating and modifying the metrics, and adding metrics for additional domains.Level of Evidence: Level IVKey Concepts•Ranking of orthopaedic programs by external organizations is expanding to pediatric orthopaedics which will have important clinical and financial implications.•Pediatric orthopaedists are rarely consulted in quality evaluations by external organizations; therefore, POSNA created a member-driven performance evaluation system—the POSNA Safe Surgery Program (PSSP)—to develop surgeon-driven quality metrics to improve high-quality care.•Twenty PSSP quality metrics were developed by the POSNA Quality, Safety, and Value Initiative (QSVI) Council across five domains: sports medicine, trauma, spine, hip/lower extremity (LE), and hand/upper extremity (UE).•Our first year distributing the PSSP quality metrics to POSNA member centers revealed (1) high engagement rates and (2) diverse ranges of quality metric fulfillment by centers.•In the future, we will expand the PSSP to more pediatric orthopaedic centers, iteratively evaluate and modify the PSSP quality metrics, and develop metrics for additional domains.

The Challenges of CEFR adoption: Teachers’ understanding and classroom practice

CEFR has been extensively adopted in many countries including Malaysia. Currently at the third phase of the implementation, the concept of CEFR and the applicability is not new to most teachers. Over the years, numerous local studies have been conducted to discover the real situation faced by both teachers and students who are directly affected by the government’s decision to replace the previous syllabus with the new CEFR aligned English syllabus. This study was conducted with the objectives of investigating the challenges encountered by English teachers on understanding CEFR and the potential challenges faced by the teachers in CEFR classroom practice in the adoption process. A panel member of the English Language Standard and Quality Council (ELSQC) and 331 school teachers participated in this study. Survey and in-depth interview were employed for data gathering. Computer software such as NVivo and SPSS were used for data analysis. Results show that most teachers lack understanding especially on the adoption of the framework. Moreover, classroom practice is a real challenge to the teachers because the imported CEFR-aligned textbooks are causing additional workload due to adapt them to the local context. Preparing and designing their own CEFR aligned teaching materials based on the new syllabus is another challenge of classroom practice for the teachers.

An Evaluation of the Program Objectives and Outcomes of the Business Administration Departments at Fifteen Turkish Universities and Their Compliance with the Bologna Process

Defining quality assurance in higher education as "a comprehensive, systematic, and regular assessment of an education institution’s educational, research, and administrative services and improving their quality," Günay (2012) states that the efforts of the European countries to build a common European higher education area and research platform have been shaped by the "Bologna Process." The educational programs developed under the Bologna Process support not only the quality assurance but also the national standardization of these programs (Kavak, Seferoğlu, Kabasakal, Zeynep Şen ve Uludağ, 2015). This paper aims to research and evaluate the realization or compliance levels of Bachelor of Science level business administration programs at fifteen universities in Turkey with regard to the Bologna Process and the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Turkey (NQF-HETR). In this regard, the information about the 2018-2019 Business Administration curricula, program objectives, program outputs, and course content of these selected universities was reviewed from their publicly available websites. To evaluate their adherence to the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council’s rules, the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, and international accreditation standards, the collected results were tabulated to comparatively analyze these selected business programs. The results revealed that the selected business administration schools in Turkey provided their program information in a non-standardized manner and that there were inadequacies in complying with the Bologna Process as well as establishing globally accepted "program objectives" expected from an accredited business program.

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

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.

Sistema de Educação Superior canadense: avaliação da Agência HEQCO para o desenvolvimento da Educação na província de Ontário

Abstract Canada is a country with a recognized Education system, and the province of Ontario has the largest number of students enrolled in Higher Education. Due to its management complexity, the Government of Ontario created the agency Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). Because it is an unusual agency in most countries, this research aims to better understand HEQCO under the vision of the main stakeholders of the system. In order to reach the results, exploratory and qualitative research was developed, from the accomplishment of interviews with managers of the Canadian government and application of questionnaire for six professors specialists in Canadian Higher Education and two student leaderships. The results showed that HEQCO has a prominent role but needs greater autonomy. This study also realized that in highly centralized systems, having an agency acting on specific issues can be an efficient way to identify the greatest challenges and be more assertive in the actions and policies outlined for each locality, assisting in its development.

Thematic Analysis of Status Reports Made within the Scope of Higher Education Assessment and Quality Assurance: The Comparative Case of England and Türkiye

In this study it is aimed to examine the status reports which were published by the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (YÖKAK) in 2016, 2017 and 2018 within the scope of evaluation and quality assurance, thematically. In addition, the results were compared with the UK’s quality assurance and evaluation system. From this point of view, suggestions for improvements in sustainable development plans that can be made for the future in quality assurance are included. This study describes and examines a limited number of sources in depth, so a case study design with a qualitative focus was employed. The study, in which content analysis was used, was analyzed with the content analysis method of a total of 77 resources used within the scope of quality in higher education. The results obtained in the study are important in terms of considering the institutional autonomy and leadership studies, which form the heart of the quality assurance system, within the scope of internationalization. Forward-looking suggestions were presented concerning both the diploma programs and micro-credit systems within the scope of collaboration and articulation among institutions of higher education in Türkiye.

A Comparative Analysis of the Institutional Quality Evaluation Processes in Turkish, European, and American Higher Education Systems

Changing economic, cultural, political, and social conditions worldwide have a big impact on higher education. Under the influence of changing conditions, the functional scope of higher education institutions has expanded and new functions have been added. In addition to these changes, the demand for higher education institutions is increasing day by day in terms of education, research, and service to society. The expanding functions of higher education and its deepening impact on society call for quality activities of higher education institutions. Therefore, institutional quality evaluation processes are carried out in higher education institutions. This study aims to analyze and compare institutional quality evaluation processes applied in Turkish, European, and American higher education systems. The findings obtained are important as they will contribute to the Higher Education Quality Council of Türkiye, quality commissions in higher education institutions, and other researchers who will conduct scientific studies on this subject. It is a descriptive and qualitative study whose sample consists of institutional quality evaluation agencies from Türkiye, England, Norway, Finland, and the United States of America. The data in the study were collected and analyzed by applying the document analysis method. The findings indicate that institutional external evaluation or audit models are used in Türkiye, England, Norway, and Finland while an institutional accreditation system is used in the USA. Although the quality evaluation processes applied are generally similar in terms of basic objectives, assessed dimensions, assessment approach, people involved in the implementation of the assessment, and assessment type, there are differences in aspects such as the management, coordination, and recognition practices of the countries’ higher education systems. Taking into account national circumstances, the institutional quality evaluation processes in the Turkish higher education system should be organized and implemented in a systematic way to ensure quality higher educational practice.

Implementation of the management system of quality in the framework IMSP Municipal Clinical Hospital „Gheorghe Paladi”

The quality management system can be defined as a set of actions and planned quality measures that ensure that the product in question meets the quality requirements of documentation prepared in accordance with European or international (ISO) standards. Within the Public Medical Institution, the “Gheorghe Paladi” Municipal Clinical Hospital, starting with 2008, the Quality Council was created, which is a collective working body that aims to reduce or eliminate the existing non-conformities detected and improve the quality of the services provided.Quality management, along with human resources, financial and strategic management, represent integral parts of the general management of the hospital and are important components of institutional policy and strategy development, as a provider of medical services. The quality council has manifested itself as an important structure within the hospital, based on the principles of autonomy, self-control, evaluation of the activity of the subdivisions of the institution, applying to the principle of internal audit with also has the right to make recommendations in order to increase the quality of the provided medical services. Thus, due to present competition between medical institutions, Municipal Clinical Hospital "Gheorghe Paladi" is motivated activly to take part in compliance regulation for quality assurance, to develop and support continuous quality improvement processes in hospital.

Critical Incident Reports Related to Ventilator Use: Analysis of the Japan Quality Council National Database.

This study aimed to assess the factors associated with medical device incidents. In this mixed-methods study, we used incident reporting data from the Japan Council for Quality Health Care. Of the 232 medical device-related reports that were downloaded, 34 (14.7%) were ventilator-associated incidents. Data related to patients, situations, and incidents were collected and coded. The frequencies of ventilator-associated accidents were 20 (58.8%) during the daytime and 14 (41.2%) during the night/early morning. Ventilator-associated accidents occurred more frequently in the hospital room (n = 22 [64.7%]) than in the intensive care unit (n = 4 [11.8%]). Problems with ventilators occurred in only 4 cases (11.8%); in most cases, medical professionals experienced difficulty with the use or management of ventilators (n = 30 [88.2%]), and 50% of them were due to misuse/misapplication of ventilators (n = 17 [50.0%]). Ventilator-associated accidents were caused by an entanglement of complex factors-hardware, software, environment, liveware, and liveware-liveware interaction. Communication and alarm-related errors were reported to be related, as were intuitiveness or complicated specifications of the device. Our study revealed that ventilator-associated accidents were caused by an entanglement of complex factors and were related to inadequate communication among caregivers and families. Moreover, alarms were overlooked owing to inattentiveness. Mistakes were generally caused by a lack of experience, insufficient training, or outright negligence. To reduce the occurrence of ventilator-associated accidents, hospital administrators should develop protocols for employment of new devices. Medical devices should be developed from the perspective of human engineering, which could be one of the systems approaches.

Self-reported health-related quality of life of the general population in Alberta, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted various aspects of people’s life and wellbeing around the world. This study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related quality of life (HRQL), measured by the EQ-5D-5L, amongst the general population in the province of Alberta, Canada, and explore whether the impact varied across population subgroups based on age, gender, and dwelling.MethodsData came from two waves of a repeated cross-sectional population-based survey, the COVID-19 Experiences and Impact Survey, administered by the Health Quality Council of Alberta. The first data collection (survey 1: n = 8790) was during May/June 2020 and the second (survey 2: n = 9263) during Oct 2020. We examined the comparability of weighted survey data and their representativeness to Alberta’s general population. We then explored between-survey differences in EQ-5D-5L index, EQ-VAS and dimension responses, and differences across subgroups within each survey. We compared HRQL of the pooled sample (survey 1&2) with the Alberta population norms data from the pre-pandemic period.ResultsMean EQ-5D-5L index and EQ-VAS scores were 0.81 (0.15) and 72.54 (18.57), and 0.82 (0.14) and 71.98 (18.96) in surveys 1 and 2, respectively. The anxiety/depression dimension had the most reported problems (survey 1: 69.5%, survey 2: 70.2%). Respondents aged 16–24 or 75 and older, who identified themselves as a woman, or residing in urban areas had significantly lower EQ-5D-5L index scores compared to their counterparts in both surveys. Between-survey differences were not substantially different. Comparing the pooled sample with the pre-pandemic Alberta population norms, EQ-5D-5L index scores (0.82 vs. 0.84) and EQ-VAS scores (72.26 vs. 77.40) were significantly lower, and respondents aged 16–44, women, or urban residents were more impacted. More problems were reported in the anxiety/depression (69.9% vs. 37.2%) and usual activities dimensions (40.5% vs. 26.0%) during the pandemic period, especially for respondents aged 16–44, women, and those residing in urban areas.ConclusionsLower HRQL was reported during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic HRQL in this population, with anxiety/depression and usual activities affected the most. People who were younger, women, and residing in urban areas were most impacted. The government responses to COVID-19 policies during population outbreaks should consider the needs of Albertans in these particular groups.

Composting time minimization of mature vermicompost using desirability and response surface methodology approach

Vermicompost is a promising nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. The maturity of vermicompost is highly important to ensure a proper quality of vermicompost. In this study, different indices to measure the compost maturity, such as carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N ratio), carbon dioxide evolution rate, and ammonium to nitrate ratio, were tested. According to the California compost quality council process, tests were carried out for different sample data of vermicomposting as a function of composting time, moisture content, and initial C:N ratio. The composting time and initial C:N ratio were found to be significant influencing factors. The second-order polynomial models obtained using a response surface methodology were employed to explain the responses of the maturity indices according to changes in the vermicomposting factors. Composting should be conducted at an initial C:N ratio of 33.09 and a moisture content of 50.66% for 28.35 days to produce highly mature vermicompost.

Prevalence and Characteristics of House Staff Quality and Safety Councils Within Clinical Learning Environments: Results of a National Survey.

House Staff Quality and Safety Councils (HQSCs) are relatively new multispecialty groups led by residents and fellows that focus on quality and safety activities at their training site. The authors sought to estimate the prevalence of HQSCs, describe their common characteristics and determine any perceived impacts. A national survey was conducted with Designated Institutional Officers (DIO) of graduate medical education programs in 2019. For institutions with an HQSC, a second survey was sent to program leaders to obtain additional details. Responses were obtained from 204 DIOs, 47% of whom currently have an HQSC. Forty-five percent of sites provided details about HQSC membership, leadership, funding, activities/initiatives, facilitators, and barriers. The majority reported positive program outcomes. This study found that HQSCs are common and share key characteristics, yet at the same time have many unique features tailored to their clinical learning environment. Participants report positive outcomes associated with these groups.

Multi-incident analysis of reviews of serious adverse clinical events in children with serious bacterial infection and/or sepsis in Queensland, Australia between 2012 and 2017.

To report on findings from a multi-incident analysis of reviews of serious paediatric adverse clinical events related to serious bacterial infection and/or sepsis (hereafter referred to as sepsis for brevity) in Queensland, Australia, between 2012 and 2017. The Queensland Paediatric Quality Council reviewed documentation from reviews of serious adverse events occurring in children (<18 years) with a diagnosis of sepsis at Queensland public hospitals between 2012 and 2017, including clinical details, coronial reports, autopsy reports and root cause analysis documents. A multi-incident tool was designed and used by an expert panel to identify patient and facility demographics, contributing factors, and human and system factors associated with paediatric serious adverse events. There were 28 serious adverse clinical events reported related to paediatric sepsis, characterised by a high proportion of deaths (23) and a predominance of children aged under 4 years. Approximately half of all facilities were classified as rural and remote health services. Contributing factors included difficulty in recognising and responding to the deteriorating patient, inadequate management/treatment, diagnostic error (mainly diagnostic delay) and escalation delay/failure. Major system factors included communication issues, incorrect use of the early warning tool, inadequate coordination of care planning, policy/protocol/guideline failures and workforce problems. Multi-incident analysis is a useful tool for identifying themes that recur in similar events and presents opportunities for system-wide improvement. Common themes and contributing factors were identified which may provide possibilities for earlier identification and intervention in childhood serious bacterial infection and/or sepsis.

Making Sense of the Micro: Building an Evidence Base for Ontario’s Microcredentials

This Innovation Spotlight responds to confusion and uncertainty surrounding “microcredentials”. The authors, from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), offer a working typology that uses “microcredentials” as an umbrella term for credentials that are tied to short learning opportunities, focussed on specific skills or knowledge. In the context of declining long-term employment, the authors call for short, flexible programs that facilitate lifelong learning and respond to the modern hiring needs of employers. They make the case that postsecondary institutions, governments and employers can collaborate in designing and delivering job-relevant microcredentials, grounded in evidence. The authors plan to build an evidence base by engaging stakeholders – prospective students, employers, and institutional administrators – to examine the perceived and potential value of microcredentials.

Compliance of Mumbai-based clinical trial sites with the Quality Council of India guidelines and evaluation of the challenges faced by the investigators.

Purpose:A committee chaired by Dr. Ranjit Roy Chaudhary suggested accreditation of investigators, sites and ethics committees to improve the quality of trial conduct in the country. Prior to accreditation, understanding the challenges faced at the sites by investigators could help define the extent of the problem and identify potential solutions. Hence, we conducted the present study.Methods:Institutional Ethics Committee approval and written informed consent was obtained prior to enrolment. A checklist and a questionnaire was used to assess compliance to Quality Council of India (QCI) standards and the challenges faced by the sites and investigators respectively. Mumbai based investigators listed in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) were enrolled. The responses obtained were analysed descriptively. The responses to each question in the checklist were calculated as a proportion and response to each item in the questionnaire was calculated in frequency and percent frequency. All the analysis was done using Microsoft Excel version 2013.Results:A total of 30 investigators from 69 clinical trial sites agreed to participate. We found that over 80% of the sites complied with standards recommended by the QCI guideline. The most frequently reported issues at the site were lack of space for archival (25%), no System to evaluate adequacy of training (31.81%) and lack of understanding of the technical language of the informed consent form (39.02%).Conclusion:There is a need of coordinated effort between all the stakeholders to improve the clinical trial conduct at the site.

National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Accreditation System for healthcare sector in India

Quality and standards of services in healthcare have become essential for the current generation of healthcare providers and beneficiaries, that is, patients. Healthcare accreditation has become the most important tool for improving the standard of the hospitals and thereafter benchmarking. Most hospitals and healthcare providers are differentiated and evaluated according to their organizational performance and quality. National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) is an integral board of the Quality Council of India (QCI), which has been established to operate an accreditation program for healthcare organizations/institutions globally. Accreditation is a public recognition awarded to healthcare organizations that fulfill the standards laid by NABH through an independent external assessment, conducted by a qualified team of assessors. In India, healthcare organizations face a lot of burden on the number of patients. However, it is important to have a keen quality and standards of services to such a huge number of patients without compromise. NABH helps with its standards controlling the standard of care and services by the health industry in different areas. There is a constant need that many such organizations are motivated to undergo an accreditation process to have uniformity in the standard of services worldwide as it is a voluntary act in India.

Quality Care for Patients With Hearing Impairments in an Inpatient Behavioral Health Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

By Olivia Engel, MSN, RN, CNL, Chair of Nurse Quality Council, Rogers Behavioral Health, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin ([email protected]).