Going beyond information management: using the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals to promote...

In 1987, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) initiated the Agenda for Change, a major revision in the evaluation process for hospitals. An essential component of that change was to shift the emphasis away from standards for individual departments to standards for hospital-wide functions. In recent years, hospital librarians have focused their energy and attention on complying with the standards for the "Management of Information" chapter, specifically the IM.9 section on knowledge-based information. However, the JCAHO has listed the health sciences librarian and library services as having responsibilities in six other chapters within the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals. These chapters can have a major impact on the services of the hospital library for two reasons: (1) they are being read by hospital leaders and other professionals in the organization, and (2) they articulate specific ways to apply knowledge-based information services to the major functions within the hospital. These chapters are "Education"; "Improving Organizational Performance"; "Leadership"; "Management of Human Resources"; "Management of the Environment of Care"; and "Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of Infection." The standards that these chapters promote present specific opportunities for hospital librarians to apply knowledge-based information resources and service to hospital-wide functions. This article reviews these chapters and discusses the standards that relate to knowledge-based information.