How can Iran's hospital accreditation standards align with ISQua?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement
• Health Policy

Background:

• Hospital accreditation is a voluntary external evaluation process based on standards to improve quality and patient safety.
• Effective standards are critical for achieving accreditation objectives.
• This study compares Iranian hospital accreditation standards with International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare Iran's hospital accreditation standards with ISQua requirements.
• To propose corrective measures for enhancing healthcare service quality in Iranian hospitals.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was used (2022-2023).
• Quantitative data were collected from 233 hospital employees using a researcher-developed checklist aligned with ISQua standards.
• Qualitative data involved interviews with 19 accreditation experts analyzed using content analysis.

Main Results:

• Overall compliance with ISQua standards averaged 0.80, with content and framework scoring 0.82 and 0.76, respectively.
• High compliance was noted in patient referrals (0.99), but quality care reporting showed low compliance (0.33).
• Recommended solutions included revising standards, improving education, and reforming governance, with 20 subthemes identified.

Conclusions:

• Iranian hospitals demonstrate satisfactory compliance with ISQua-aligned accreditation standards.
• Implementing corrective measures and supplementary initiatives is crucial for enhancing standards and aligning them with ISQua requirements.
• Revising standard structure, considering hospital diversity, and providing continuous training are key recommendations for advancing accreditation.