Striving for Performance Excellence: Ten Years’ Experience & Impact of Accreditation on Quality, Safety, and Overall Performance in King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) – A Mixed-Methods Study

BackgroundThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has undergone a healthcare system transformation to improve healthcare delivery and quality and central to this is the accreditation for healthcare facilities. Hospitals in KSA have relied on international accreditation bodies and are now shifting to national accreditation boards. The objective of this paper is to assess long-term effects of national and international accreditation through measuring staff perception after ten years of participation in multiple accreditation surveys.MethodsThis mixed-methods study was conducted at the King Saud University Medical City. The quantitative tool was adapted from previous studies and was made available in both English and Arabic. Respondents were asked to evaluate their involvement in accreditation and hospital readiness for another accreditation survey using 11 subscales. ANOVA was used to evaluate differences in mean scores based on level of participation in accreditation surveys. A qualitative interview tool was also used to elicit input from key stakeholders, senior leaders, and managers from the university hospitals. ResultsA total of 630 respondents completed the survey. The subscale on Patient Safety scored highest with an average and those measuring Accreditation Impact, Quality Impact and Quality Management closely followed. ANOVA results showed a significantly increasing mean score with increasing involvement of respondents in accreditation with highest scores observed for the first accreditation survey. Linear regression results showed increases in selected outcomes when with increasing subscale scores for patient satisfaction, management and leadership and others. Findings from the qualitative component showed that accreditation supported improved and sustained quality of care. Despite some differences and challenges in implementing both international and national accreditation standards, there were areas of complementarity which supported quality improvement. Respondents also noted improvements in patient outcomes as a result of participation in accreditation.ConclusionThis study is the first to examine the long-term impact of accreditation over an extended period in KSA. The long-term assessment of accreditation conducted in this study revealed that staff perception about performance was highest during the first cycle and consistently decreased with consequent surveys. The slight and incremental decrease in scale scores reveal that the benefits of accreditation were retained.

JPGT Preparation towards Accredited and Internationally Reputed Journal

Research by teachers and students at a university is closely related to the quality of the institution. Scientific journals in Indonesia at the international level are still low, including publications in periodicals (scientific journals) that are indexed in international reputable indexers. The management of scientific journals in order to achieve the target of becoming a nationally accredited scientific journal or even becoming a journal of international repute requires an effective and efficient journal management and management system based on the instruments and qualifications required by national journal accreditation institutions such as ARJUNA and reputable international indexing institutions. JPGT will try to meet the criteria for international journals, namely by having reviewers from at least 4 countries and papers published from at least 2 countries. The plan after obtaining national accreditation is to be indexed with international reputation.

Analysis of the Experience of Participation in Interlaboratory Comparisons of the Radiation Control Laboratory in National Accreditation System

Purpose: Formation of the idea of laboratories accredited by Accreditation System of Russian Federation, in particular radiation control laboratories, about the possibility of confirming technical competence by means of participation in interlaboratory comparison tests at international level. Content: Description of the experience of successful passing the international comparisons by radiation control laboratories under up-to-date requirements. Conclusion: The experience described in the article can be used by accredited laboratories in practice for conformity validation with accreditation criteria.

The Data Evaluation of Interlaboratory Comparisons for Calibration Laboratories

National accreditation agencies in different countries have set quite strict requirements for accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories. Interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) are a form of experimental verification of laboratory activities to determine technical competence in a particular activity. Successful results of conducting ILCs for the laboratory are a confirmation of competence in carrying out certain types of measurements by a specific specialist on specific equipment. To obtain reliable results of ILC accredited laboratories, it is necessary to improve the methods of processing these results. These methods are based on various data processing algorithms. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the most optimal method of processing the obtained data, which would allow to obtain reliable results. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the calibration laboratories (CLs) when evaluating the results of ILС. Such features are related to the need to provide calibration of measuring instruments for testing laboratories. The evaluation results for ILCs for CLs are presented. The results for all participants of ILCs were evaluated using the En and z indexes. The obtained results showed that for the such ILCs it is also necessary to evaluate the data using the z index also.

Impact of the Introduction of Accreditation Standards on the Satisfaction of Patients in Cardiology Departments

Background: It can be presumed that introducing accreditation standards and obtaining national accreditation by a hospital should translate into increased patient satisfaction. The aim was to analyze the impact of introducing accreditation standards on patient satisfaction in cardiology departments. Methods: 1080 patients, who were hospitalized in four cardiological wards (W1–W4) between 2009–2015, were asked to complete a 22-item questionnaire that assessed the level of their satisfaction with their medical care. 58 questionnaires were excluded because of incomplete data. The hospital was accredited in 2013. Results: In 3 of the 4 wards, a statistically higher total score (the patient was more satisfied) in the period after the accreditation (2013–2015) compared to the period before the accreditation (2009–2012) was as follows: W1 (80.37 ± 6.54 vs. 83.85 ± 5.9; p = 0.0004), W2 (79.95 ± 7.62 vs. 81.46 ± 8.2: p = 0.0376), W4: (78.84 ± 7.94 vs. 84.91 ± 5.57; p = 0.0376); in one ward, there was no statistical difference: W3 (80.11 ± 8.42 vs. 81.07 ± 8.15; p = 0.3284). A significant difference was found in the number of points for the total assessment that were collected for all of the analyzed departments throughout the entire period (2009–2015)–W1: p = 0.0032; W2: p = 0.0176; W3: p = 0.0313 and W4: p < 0.0001). The medium-term rate of the change of the total score decreased after the accreditation. Conclusion: Preparing a hospital for a national accreditation program brought significant benefits for patients in a long-term observation.

SISTEMA DE GESTIÓN DEL CONOCIMIENTO BASADO EN ESTÁNDARES DE ALTA CALIDAD PARA UN PROGRAMA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR

Knowledge management is a useful tool for the competitiveness of many organizations. The higher education sector is particularly oriented towards adherence to this type of schemes, since its nature implies constant institutional learning based not only on its own experience but also on the exchange of knowledge in the academic environment. In Colombia, higher education institutions perceive an opportunity for improvement in the high quality standards of the National Accreditation Council, which requires an infrastructure oriented to the strategic knowledge management. This article presents the experience of implementing a prototype of a knowledge management system in a higher education undergraduate program. It describes the phases of the process and its relationship with the technological platform that supported the development. The conclusions highlight the advantages of the exercise, emphasizing institutional learning, the importance of the technological platform and, finally, reflections on knowledge management as a fundamental axis of accreditation processes.

Design and Validation of Performance Evaluation Model of National Accreditation Schemes in Hospitals: A Mixed-Method Study

Background: Performance evaluation of accreditation schemes can improve the quality of hospital accreditation significantly. An effective accreditation system is one that performs the accreditation process properly and achieves acceptable results. Objective: This study aimed to design and validate the performance evaluation model of national accreditation schemes in hospitals. Materials and Methods: This study was performed in a mixed method. The performance evaluation dimensions of the national accreditation models for hospitals were identified, classified, and modeled using the qualitative research method. The quantitative aspect of the obtained model was tested using structural equation modeling. Results: All identified variables were classified into six dimensions including causal conditions, strategic conditions, axial phenomenon, context conditions, intermediary/interventional conditions, and consequence. The results of the quantitative part suggested that the proposed model had a good fit and its validity and reliability were confirmed. Conclusions: The results of the present study revealed that the performance evaluation model of national accreditation schemes in hospitals had a good fit and might be used as an effective model in accreditation organizations as a roadmap to better evaluate accreditation schemes, such as those used in hospitals.