A model for assessing the validity of allied health accreditation standards

Historically, accreditation standards in allied health education have evolved using judgment and tradition as the basis for characterizing a quality program of learning. Recent efforts to address growing concerns over the lack of evidence to support standards perceived as arbitrary, costly, and prescriptive have been largely ineffective in catalyzing major change. Moreover, the fundamental assumption underlying specialized accreditation, that compliance with pre-established standards will favorably affect the outcome of the educational process, has heretofore remained untested. This paper provides a historical perspective on prior efforts to evaluate accreditation requirements and describes the conceptual framework, developmental considerations, application, and potential utility of a model employed to assess the validity of one allied health agency's accreditation standards.