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Journal of Public Health Management and... 2019To improve quality and consistency of health departments, a voluntary accreditation process was developed by the Public Health Accreditation Board. Understanding...
BACKGROUND
To improve quality and consistency of health departments, a voluntary accreditation process was developed by the Public Health Accreditation Board. Understanding accreditation's role as a mediator in workforce training needs, satisfaction, and awareness is important for continued improvement for governmental public health.
OBJECTIVE
To compare differences in training needs, satisfaction/intent to leave, and awareness of public health concepts for state and local health department staff with regard to their agency's accreditation status.
DESIGN
This cross-sectional study considered the association between agency accreditation status and individual perceptions of training needs, satisfaction, intent to leave, and awareness of public health concepts, using 2017 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) data. Respondents were categorized on the basis of whether their agencies (at the time of survey) were (1) uninvolved in accreditation, (2) formally involved in accreditation, or (3) accredited.
RESULTS
Multivariate logistic regression models found several significant differences, including the following: individuals from involved state agencies were less likely to report having had their training needs assessed; staff from accredited and involved agencies identified more gaps in selected skills; and employees of accredited agencies were more aware of quality improvement. While state employees in accredited and formally involved agencies reported less job satisfaction, there were no significant differences in intent to leave or burnout. Differences were identified concerning awareness of various public health concepts, especially among respondents in state agencies.
CONCLUSIONS
While some findings were consistent with past research (eg, link between accreditation and quality improvement), others were not (eg, job satisfaction). Several self-reported skill gaps were unanticipated, given accreditation's emphasis on training. Potentially, as staff are exposed to accreditation topics, they gain more appreciation of skills development needs. Findings suggest opportunities to strengthen workforce development components when revising accreditation measures.
Topics: Accreditation; Adult; Aged; Correlation of Data; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Workforce; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Needs Assessment; Public Health; Staff Development; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 30720624
DOI: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000920 -
The British Journal of General Practice... Aug 1998
Topics: Accreditation; Education, Medical, Graduate; Family Practice; Research; State Medicine; United Kingdom
PubMed: 10024702
DOI: No ID Found -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022Foundational Capabilities (FC) are the public health (PH) infrastructure areas that are essential for local health departments (LHDs) to support a "minimum package" of...
CONTEXT
Foundational Capabilities (FC) are the public health (PH) infrastructure areas that are essential for local health departments (LHDs) to support a "minimum package" of programs and services that promote population health. Despite being a critical component of LHD programs, FC are chronically underfunded, and studies specific to the relationship between LHD FC expenditures and their performance-the LHDs' ability to provide essential PH programs and services to their community-have not been previously reported. Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation is a nationally recognized accreditation program for PH agencies. PHAB accreditation assesses LHDs' performance against sets of standards that are based on the 10 essential PH services. Alignment between FC and the PHAB standards presents a means for assessing LHD FC expenditures relative to their performance in PHAB accreditation standards.
OBJECTIVES
We examined the association between LHD total FC expenditures, as well as FC funding allocation patterns, and performance score on selected PHAB accreditation standards.
METHODS
We used Bayesian regression methods to estimate the coefficients for the aggregate performance score, and performance scores on individual PHAB standards.
RESULTS
Analyses showed that a dollar increase in total FC expenditures is associated with a 0.2% increase in the aggregate performance score in selected PHAB standards as well as the performance score on most of the standards examined. LHDs that allocated FC budgets more evenly across FC programs were found to be more likely to have higher scores.
CONCLUSIONS
Investment in FC could improve LHD performance scores in PHAB accreditation standards and support LHDs' capability for improving community health outcomes. Allocating available FC resources across the various FC programs could support better LHD performance, as indicated by accreditation scores. This study contributes to advancing the understanding of public health finances in relation to performance and could help guide effective LHD resource allocation.
Topics: Accreditation; Bayes Theorem; Health Expenditures; Local Government; Public Health; Quality Improvement
PubMed: 35692346
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.861587 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Oct 2018To determine whether patients admitted to US hospitals that are accredited have better outcomes than those admitted to hospitals reviewed through state surveys, and... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
To determine whether patients admitted to US hospitals that are accredited have better outcomes than those admitted to hospitals reviewed through state surveys, and whether accreditation by The Joint Commission (the largest and most well known accrediting body with an international presence) confers any additional benefits for patients compared with other independent accrediting organizations.
DESIGN
Observational study.
SETTING
4400 hospitals in the United States, of which 3337 were accredited (2847 by The Joint Commission) and 1063 underwent state based review between 2014 and 2017.
PARTICIPANTS
4 242 684 patients aged 65 years and older admitted for 15 common medical and six common surgical conditions and survey respondents of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems (HCAHPS).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Risk adjusted mortality and readmission rates at 30 days and HCAHPS patient experience scores. Hospital admissions were identified from Medicare inpatient files for 2014, and accreditation information was obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission.
RESULTS
Patients treated at accredited hospitals had lower 30 day mortality rates (although not statistically significant lower rates, based on the prespecified P value threshold) than those at hospitals that were reviewed by a state survey agency (10.2% 10.6%, difference 0.4% (95% confidence interval 0.1% to 0.8%), P=0.03), but nearly identical rates of mortality for the six surgical conditions (2.4% 2.4%, 0.0% (-0.3% to 0.3%), P=0.99). Readmissions for the 15 medical conditions at 30 days were significantly lower at accredited hospitals than at state survey hospitals (22.4% 23.2%, 0.8% (0.4% to 1.3%), P<0.001) but did not differ for the surgical conditions (15.9% 15.6%, 0.3% (-1.2% to 1.6%), P=0.75). No statistically significant differences were seen in 30 day mortality or readmission rates (for both the medical or surgical conditions) between hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission and those accredited by other independent organizations. Patient experience scores were modestly better at state survey hospitals than at accredited hospitals (summary star rating 3.4 3.2, 0.2 (0.1 to 0.3), P<0.001). Among accredited hospitals, The Joint Commission did not have significantly different patient experience scores compared to other independent organizations (3.1 3.2, 0.1 (-0.003 to 0.2), P=0.06).
CONCLUSIONS
US hospital accreditation by independent organizations is not associated with lower mortality, and is only slightly associated with reduced readmission rates for the 15 common medical conditions selected in this study. There was no evidence in this study to indicate that patients choosing a hospital accredited by The Joint Commission confer any healthcare benefits over choosing a hospital accredited by another independent accrediting organization.
Topics: Accreditation; Aged; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; Male; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Patient Admission; Quality Assurance, Health Care; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States
PubMed: 30337294
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k4011 -
BMC Medical Education Sep 2020Social accountability in medical education has been defined as an obligation to direct education, research, and service activities toward the most important health... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Social accountability in medical education has been defined as an obligation to direct education, research, and service activities toward the most important health concerns of communities, regions, and nations. Drawing from the results of a summit of international experts on postgraduate medical education and accreditation, we highlight the importance of local contexts in meeting societal aims and present different approaches to ensuring societal input into medical education systems around the globe.
MAIN TEXT
We describe four priorities for social responsiveness that postgraduate medical education needs to address in local and regional contexts: (1) optimizing the size, specialty mix, and geographic distribution of the physician workforce; (2) ensuring graduates' competence in meeting societal goals for health care, population health, and sustainability; (3) promoting a diverse physician workforce and equitable access to graduate medical education; and (4) ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment that promotes the professional development of physicians along with safe and effective patient care in settings where trainees participate in care. We relate these priorities to the values proposed by the World Health Organization for social accountability: relevance, quality, cost-effectiveness, and equity; discuss accreditation as a lever for change; and describe existing and evolving efforts to make postgraduate medical education socially responsive.
CONCLUSION
Achieving social responsiveness in a competency-based postgraduate medical education system requires accrediting organizations to ensure that learning emphasizes relevant competencies in postgraduate curricula and educational experiences, and that graduates possess desired attributes. At the same time, institutions sponsoring graduate medical education need to provide safe and effective patient care, along with a supportive learning and working environment.
Topics: Accreditation; Competency-Based Education; Curriculum; Education, Medical; Education, Medical, Graduate; Humans
PubMed: 32981520
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-020-02125-1 -
BMC Medical Education May 2022Medical education accreditation in China has been conducted by the Working Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education (WCAME) and 129 medical schools have...
BACKGROUND
Medical education accreditation in China has been conducted by the Working Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education (WCAME) and 129 medical schools have completed accreditation by December 2021. Despite studies on the standards, process and effectiveness of accreditation, the actual information transparency of accredited medical schools in China has not been examined. The study investigated the status of publicly available information from WCAME-accredited medical schools in China, and whether public availability of information had significant differences among different types of universities.
METHODS
The 129 medical schools' official websites were reviewed for the 21 criteria of the WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement: Basic Medical Education. Dichotomous method was used to record information as presence or absence. SPSS was utilized for descriptive and ANOVA analyses.
RESULTS
The mean of the publicly available information on the 21 criteria was 13.77 ± 3.57, and only 5 (3.9%) accredited medical schools had all relevant information available. Publicly available information on Governance (100%) and Administration (100%) was the most, whereas information on Assessment in support of learning (16.3%) was the least. Public availability of information differed significantly among schools accredited with higher (18.15 ± 2.16), medium (13.69 ± 3.41) and lower results (12.79 ± 3.19) (F = 14.71, p < 0.05). Medical universities and comprehensive universities did not show significant differences in their overall information availability (F = 0.25, p > 0.05). Central government funded universities had a remarkably larger amount of publicly available information than local government funded universities (17.86 ± 1.98 vs. 12.75 ± 2.93, p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Public availability of information from the accredited medical schools in China needs to be improved to promote transparency and continuous quality improvement, especially with regard to information on curriculum, assessment and quality assurance. Explicit information availability requirements need to be considered to include in medical education standards, and further studies are warranted to explore which information elements should be made publicly available.
Topics: Accreditation; China; Curriculum; Education, Medical; Humans; Schools, Medical
PubMed: 35641929
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-022-03491-8 -
Revista Da Associacao Medica Brasileira... 2011This article analyzes the dynamics and changes in the accreditation process in three different places - France, UK and Cataluña (Spain) - based on documents about their... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
This article analyzes the dynamics and changes in the accreditation process in three different places - France, UK and Cataluña (Spain) - based on documents about their health systems organizations, funding sources and regulations. The objective was to find out about the relevant aspects of the strategies of these countries' institutions that adapted accreditation to national circumstances in the healthcare policy arena. Although there are similarities in the basic approaches and standards used, there are different models of accreditation. Setting standards raises the question of who should define them and how they should be monitored; accreditation's methodology cannot be seen only as a voluntary process for assessing quality in healthcare or perceived as tool for certification and regulation. Interests in accreditation can be driven by a number of different forces, which depend upon the model adopted. Therefore, it can only be understood in the policy arena of each country.
Topics: Accreditation; France; Health Policy; Health Services; Humans; National Health Programs; Quality Assurance, Health Care; Spain; United Kingdom
PubMed: 21537714
DOI: 10.1590/s0104-42302011000200025 -
Currents in Pharmacy Teaching & Learning Apr 2022This wisdom of experience commentary, from peer academic reviewers serving on accreditation teams, will discuss benefits and challenges of international and national...
PURPOSE
This wisdom of experience commentary, from peer academic reviewers serving on accreditation teams, will discuss benefits and challenges of international and national virtual accreditation visits (VAVs) using a "What? So What? Now What?" reflective model.
DESCRIPTION
Onsite accreditation reviews for health professional education programs require investments in time, effort, and money to maintain program alignment with accreditation standards and continuously generate quality practitioners. When COVID-19 entered the accreditation world, reviewers had to pivot modalities to a VAV format.
ANALYSIS/INTERPRETATION
Adaptation and expectations of VAVs present several challenges. Barriers and advantages will be discussed as well as implications for the future. While medical and pharmacy education standardization has long been established, the authors propose national and international accrediting bodies will utilize the ingenuity of emergency COVID-19-driven onsite accreditation alternatives to develop protocols for novel accreditation methodology.
CONCLUSIONS
Whether the continued mutation of COVID-19 prevents the return to previous accreditation visits or not, the experiences gained from the emergency-driven VAV, can inform and enrich accrediting bodies knowledge, theories, and practices of future VAVs.
IMPLICATIONS
Higher-education institutions, accreditation bodies, and government entities will use experiences during COVID-19 to transform and improve academic requirements and future practices. Even if there is a full return to onsite reviews, such guidelines or improved versions of them can be applied to situations where immobility or restricted mobility is an issue, such as in illness, pregnancy, travel, war, etc. It is crucial for educators and accrediting bodies to evolve as we navigate these unprecedented times.
Topics: Accreditation; COVID-19; Humans; Pandemics; Pharmacies; Pharmacy
PubMed: 35483820
DOI: 10.1016/j.cptl.2022.03.013 -
Biochemia Medica 2014In laboratory medicine, several studies have described the most frequent errors in the different phases of the total testing process, and a large proportion of these... (Review)
Review
In laboratory medicine, several studies have described the most frequent errors in the different phases of the total testing process, and a large proportion of these errors occur in the pre-analytical phase. Schemes for registration of errors and subsequent feedback to the participants have been conducted for decades concerning the analytical phase by External Quality Assessment (EQA) organizations operating in most countries. The aim of the paper is to present an overview of different types of EQA schemes for the pre-analytical phase, and give examples of some existing schemes. So far, very few EQA organizations have focused on the pre-analytical phase, and most EQA organizations do not offer pre-analytical EQA schemes (EQAS). It is more difficult to perform and standardize pre-analytical EQAS and also, accreditation bodies do not ask the laboratories for results from such schemes. However, some ongoing EQA programs for the pre-analytical phase do exist, and some examples are given in this paper. The methods used can be divided into three different types; collecting information about pre-analytical laboratory procedures, circulating real samples to collect information about interferences that might affect the measurement procedure, or register actual laboratory errors and relate these to quality indicators. These three types have different focus and different challenges regarding implementation, and a combination of the three is probably necessary to be able to detect and monitor the wide range of errors occurring in the pre-analytical phase.
Topics: Accreditation; Humans; Laboratories; Quality Assurance, Health Care; Quality Control; Research Design
PubMed: 24627720
DOI: 10.11613/BM.2014.013 -
Annals of Family Medicine 2021
Topics: Accreditation; Humans; Osteopathic Medicine; Osteopathic Physicians; Schools, Medical; United States
PubMed: 33431402
DOI: 10.1370/afm.2663