The impact of health sector accreditation: a literature review

Abstract

Abstract Background: The necessity for an empirically grounded, comprehensive evidence base for accreditation has long been recognized. Without this, the varying positive and negative views about accreditation will remain anecdotal, influenced by ideology or preferences, and driven by such biases. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to identify and analyze research into accreditation processes impact and to find out if there is difference between accredited and nonaccredited health units. Data sources: A review of the accreditation literature was conducted from May to July 2018. The search identified articles researching accreditation of health sector. An analysis of abstracts of the articles was conducted to identify substantial studies relevant to health services accreditation. The full text of these studies was retrieved and reviewed. Inclusion criteria included studies addressing the impact of hospital accreditation using systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, observational studies with a control group, or interrupted time series. Results: The analysis reveals a complex picture. The results, examining the impact of accreditation, were classified into 2 categories following a chronological order: Proponents – Positive Impact and Opponents – Neutral or Negative Impact. The search identified a number of national health care accreditation organizations engaged in research activities. Accreditation continues to grow internationally but due to scant evidence, no conclusions could be reached to support its effectiveness. Concerns are raised about the cost of accreditation programs by health care professionals especially in developing countries. Conclusion: The health care accreditation industry appears to be purposefully moving towards constructing the evidence to ground our understanding of accreditation, by analyzing both traditional and newly developed measures and measurement systems.