The perceptions of healthcare professionals about accreditation and its impact on quality of healthcare in Kuwait: a qualitative study

TY - JOUR

T1 - The perceptions of healthcare professionals about accreditation and its impact on quality of healthcare in Kuwait

T2 - a qualitative study

AU - Katoue, Maram Gamal

AU - Somerville, Susan Geraldine

AU - Barake, Roula

AU - Scott, Mairi

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to thank all the healthcare professionals who shared their views in this study. We thank Dasman Diabetes Institute for their support and for delivery of the postgraduate program in diabetes care and education in collaboration with the University of Dundee. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - Rationale, aims, and objectives: The accreditation of healthcare organizations has been applied as a quality assurance mechanism of healthcare services. Kuwait health authorities implemented a national healthcare accreditation program at the governmental healthcare system. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of healthcare professionals (HCPs) about healthcare accreditation, perceived challenges to implementing accreditation, and views on how to overcome these challenges.Methods: A phenomenological qualitative framework was adopted to conduct focus group interviews to explore perceptions of HCPs about accreditation in governmental healthcare system. Data were collected from 30 HCPs using seven focus group interviews. The verbatim transcripts of the interviews were analysed using the framework approach.Results: The HCPs indicated that accreditation enhanced patient safety culture at their organizations through staff adherence to good practices, improved documentation and patient handover practices, and incident reporting. The facilitators to the implementation of accreditation that emerged from interviews included administrative support, staff training about accreditation, and expansion in application of electronic systems. Participants reported several challenges to implementing accreditation including challenges related to staff (eg, high workload, burdens imposed by accreditation requirements), challenges related to organizational system and resources (eg, poor teamwork among HCPs, inadequate infrastructure in some facilities), and challenges related to patients (eg, poor understanding about accreditation). However, most participants expressed positive attitudes towards accreditation and appreciated its impact on quality of healthcare. Participants suggested ways to support accreditation such as increasing staff numbers to reduce workload, enhancing staff motivation and education about accreditation, developing proactive leadership and staff teamwork, and improving patients' awareness about accreditation.Conclusions: HCPs in Kuwait expressed positive attitudes towards accreditation while also recognizing the challenges that may hinder its implementation. The collaboration between different stakeholders in this process is essential to overcome these challenges and support HCPs to meet accreditation standards and improve quality of healthcare services.

AB - Rationale, aims, and objectives: The accreditation of healthcare organizations has been applied as a quality assurance mechanism of healthcare services. Kuwait health authorities implemented a national healthcare accreditation program at the governmental healthcare system. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of healthcare professionals (HCPs) about healthcare accreditation, perceived challenges to implementing accreditation, and views on how to overcome these challenges.Methods: A phenomenological qualitative framework was adopted to conduct focus group interviews to explore perceptions of HCPs about accreditation in governmental healthcare system. Data were collected from 30 HCPs using seven focus group interviews. The verbatim transcripts of the interviews were analysed using the framework approach.Results: The HCPs indicated that accreditation enhanced patient safety culture at their organizations through staff adherence to good practices, improved documentation and patient handover practices, and incident reporting. The facilitators to the implementation of accreditation that emerged from interviews included administrative support, staff training about accreditation, and expansion in application of electronic systems. Participants reported several challenges to implementing accreditation including challenges related to staff (eg, high workload, burdens imposed by accreditation requirements), challenges related to organizational system and resources (eg, poor teamwork among HCPs, inadequate infrastructure in some facilities), and challenges related to patients (eg, poor understanding about accreditation). However, most participants expressed positive attitudes towards accreditation and appreciated its impact on quality of healthcare. Participants suggested ways to support accreditation such as increasing staff numbers to reduce workload, enhancing staff motivation and education about accreditation, developing proactive leadership and staff teamwork, and improving patients' awareness about accreditation.Conclusions: HCPs in Kuwait expressed positive attitudes towards accreditation while also recognizing the challenges that may hinder its implementation. The collaboration between different stakeholders in this process is essential to overcome these challenges and support HCPs to meet accreditation standards and improve quality of healthcare services.

KW - accreditation

KW - healthcare

KW - healthcare quality improvement

KW - Kuwait

KW - patient safety

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85102792264

U2 - 10.1111/jep.13557

DO - 10.1111/jep.13557

M3 - Article

C2 - 33749091

AN - SCOPUS:85102792264

SN - 1356-1294

VL - 27

SP - 1310

EP - 1320

JO - Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice

JF - Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice

IS - 6

ER -