Impact of hospital accreditation on quality improvement in healthcare: A systematic review

by Mohammad J. Alhawajreh, Audrey S. Paterson, William J. Jackson

Objective

This is the first systematic review aims to build the evidence for the impact of accreditation on quality improvement of healthcare services, as well as identify and develop an understanding of the contextual factors influencing accreditation implementation in the hospital setting through the lens of Normalisation Process Theory (NPT).

Data sources

Data were gathered from five databases; MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library. And supplemental sources.

Study design

This systematic review is reported following PRISMA guidelines with a quality assessment. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis guided by the NPT theoretical framework.

Data collection/extraction methods

Data were extracted and summarized using prespecified inclusion/exclusion criteria and a data extraction sheet encompassing all necessary information about the studies included in the review.

Principal findings

There are inconsistent findings about the impact of accreditation on improving healthcare quality and outcomes, and there is scant evidence about its effectiveness. The findings also provide valuable insights into the key factors that may influence hospital accreditation implementation and develop a better understanding of their potential implications. Using the NPT shows a growing emphasis on the enactment work of the accreditation process and how this may drive improving the quality of healthcare services. However, little focus is given to accreditation’s effects on health professionals’ roles and responsibilities, strategies and ways for engaging health professionals for effective implementation, and ensuring that the goals and potential benefits of accreditation are made clear and transparent through ongoing evaluation and feedback to all health professionals involved in the accreditation process.

Conclusions

While there are contradictory findings about the impact of accreditation on improving the quality of healthcare services, accreditation continues to gain acceptance internationally as a quality assurance tool to support best practices in evaluating the quality outcomes of healthcare delivered. Policymakers, healthcare organisations, and researchers should proactively consider a set of key factors for the future implementation of accreditation programmes if they are to be effectively implemented and sustained within the hospital setting.Systematic review registration: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020172390 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=172390.