In seeking the “gold standard” of international hospital accreditation, International accreditation like Joint Commission International has assisted in accomplishing the following: The organization sought to put into practice measurable standards upon which to base patient care – from admission to discharge – that would be considered best practices worldwide.Hospitals expected to realize greater financial return using patient care standards to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness in its daily operations. The hospital wanted to standardize and continually improve patient and employee safety, as well as put strategies into place for reducing risk. Hospitals wanted to achieve international accreditation to attract more international patients.

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CASE STUDY on International Accreditation
By Dr.Mahboob ali khan Phd
Overview In seeking the “gold standard” of international hospital
accreditation, International accreditation like Joint Commission International
has assisted in accomplishing the following: The organization sought to put
into practice measurable standards upon which to base patient care – from
admission to discharge – that would be considered best practices
worldwide.Hospitals expected to realize greater financial return using patient
care standards to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness in its daily
operations. The hospital wanted to standardize and continually improve patient
and employee safety, as well as put strategies into place for reducing risk.
Hospitals wanted to achieve international accreditation to attract more
international patients.
Challenges There is no hospital accrediting body in India, so Hospitals
had no patient care and safety standards in place. There are no major
government standards protecting employee safety, such as requirements for
tuberculosis screening, putting the burden to create and enforce such standards
on the hospital. The hospital staff and physicians lacked familiarity with
hospital accreditation and its benefits. Many of Hospital’s middle-level
managers and some employees were resistant to accreditation, as they were
unfamiliar with the standards and processes.

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Solutions To achieve accreditation by Joint Commission International,
Hospitals created patient care processes that can be measured or improved upon
over time. Staff members followed clinical pathways that promoted consistent,
high-quality patient care throughout the hospital and clinics. In preparing for
JCI accreditation, Hospitals implemented patient safety standards that clearly
outlined when employees and physicians must wear latex gloves. To meet Joint
Commission International accreditation standards, Hospitals instituted
procedures for the safe disposal of needles and syringes. Hospital staff members
tracked the number of reports of patient falls and medication errors, and created
a system to prevent them from recurring. The hospital fitted patient beds with
side rails and adapted wheelchairs to brake The potency of sterilization
chemicals was sampled every day using test strips, and refrigeration logs were
checked daily to ensure the safe temperature levels of patient medication and
food. Hospitals instituted an organization-wide hand-washing campaign to
improve patient safety. To achieve Joint Commission International
accreditation, Hospitals employees with patient contact were given physical
exams and tested regularly for communicable diseases. Food service employees
began to wear hair nets and gloves, and were checked monthly for highly
contagious diseases and vaccinated against diseases like hepatitis. Hospitals
installed smoke doors and implemented emergency preparedness procedures to
comply with Joint Commission International accreditation standards. Hospitals
created a continuing medical education program, and a program for validating
physician credentials and privileges at the hospital.

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Impact Through implementation of patient care standards, the hospitals
has significantly improved its processes, and thereby realized financial benefits.
The organization increased its revenue growth by 20 percent in the six months
after it received international accreditation. Achieving accreditation by Joint
Commission International instilled a culture of patient safety among Hospitals
staff members. Preparation for International accreditation by Joint Commission
International resulted in a significantly safer drug delivery system at the
hospital, reducing medication errors by 78 percent. The hospital developed a
safer method for the disposal of needles and syringes by installing sharps
containers. Staff compliance for using the containers was nearly 98 percent. The
organization’s hand-washing campaign resulted in growing levels of
compliance among staff and physicians, improving patient safety. The hospital
minimized the risk of infection by regularly testing employees with patient
contact for communicable diseases. Employee safety standards that were
implemented protected the well-being of employees. Radiology staff members,
for example, were routinely tested for unsafe exposure to radiation. Since
achieving international accreditation, Hospitals are better equipped to handle
medical emergencies with transparency and accountability. With a process in
place to treat the victims of earthquakes in Pakistan and bomb blasts and fires in
India, the hospital greatly improved its reputation with the news media and
gained higher stature in the community. In achieving international accreditation,
staff members at Hospitals developed a sense of pride and accomplishment, as
well as a can-do attitude. In particular, front-line staff members who
championed the effort to achieve international accreditation remain committed
to maintaining the standards.