Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions Toward Hospital Accreditation: A Cross-Sectional Study

Hospital accreditation serves as a systematic approach to improving the quality of healthcare services and ensuring patient safety. The success of such programs depends heavily on the awareness, attitude, and perception of healthcare providers, particularly nurses. This study, conducted in 2024 at Imam Khomeini Educational-Therapeutic Hospital in Khalkhal, assessed these factors among 156 nurses using a self-administered questionnaire. The results revealed that the mean scores for knowledge, attitude, and perception were 25.66 (SD = 8.38), 26.23 (SD = 8.91), and 31.58 (SD = 9.53), respectively. Most participants were female (73.7%), held a bachelor's degree (98.1%), and were aged between 30 and 40 years. Knowledge levels varied significantly with age and education, with nurses aged 40-50 and those with postgraduate qualifications demonstrating higher scores. Attitudes toward accreditation were more positive among male nurses, those aged 30-40, and those with less than five years of experience. Interestingly, perception scores were highest among nurses with more than ten years of work experience. These findings suggest that while general awareness of accreditation was moderate, attitudes and perceptions were relatively favorable, particularly among specific demographic subgroups. Given that the effectiveness of accreditation relies on informed and engaged nursing staff, these variations highlight the need for targeted interventions, such as continuous education and motivational programs, to improve knowledge levels and sustain positive attitudes across all groups. Strengthening these areas is essential for the successful implementation of accreditation standards and for driving continuous quality improvement in hospital care.