Attitudes of nursing executives to the health care facility accreditation program: an exploratory study

This paper reports an exploratory study which examined the attitudes of hospital nursing executives to aspects of the Health Care Facility Accreditation Program conducted by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards. A comparative analysis of responses obtained via a structured questionnaire was undertaken on the basis of accreditation status, facility type (that is, private or public ownership) and bed capacity. Findings suggest that while the public/private categorisation is not a factor influencing level of involvement with accreditation, organisational size is related directly to program participation. Respondents from smaller facilities (less than 100 beds) demonstrate a different appreciation of program objectives than do their counterparts from larger organisations. Analysis indicates a significantly lower level of satisfaction with the program on a number of items relating to accreditation standards. All respondents show similar variations in their perception of those service areas which have been influenced by accreditation involvement.