Factors Affecting Implementation of Joint Commission International Standards in Egyptian Hospitals: A comparative study between two private hospitals in Egypt.

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating the main factors affecting the joint commission standards implementation in Egypt, through conducting a comparative study between two private hospitals in Egypt. A comparative study between two private hospitals, one of them was accredited and another one even failed to apply for survey. Direct observation of significant areas at the two studied hospitals using a semi-structured observation checklist includes a list of pre-specified categories. A comparison between the two hospitals regarding positive and negative points under each category was conducted. Additionally, a face-to-face interview of a sample of internal customers at the two studied hospitals was conducted using a questionnaire with open-ended questions. Observation revealed major differences between the two hospitals in the areas of communication and safety measures. Both hospitals were comparable regarding patients’ privacy and confidentiality. Interviewing internal customers showed most of internal customers in the non-accredited hospital were unaware about accreditation. Success of a hospital to get accredited is associated with staff education & training, top management support, cooperation between different departments and recruitment of competent staff. Instead, failure of accreditation is attributed to the hospital design & infrastructure don't comply with standards in addition to un-supportive top management. Creating motivate decision makers in hospitals to be supportive and commitment to quality plans is essential and should be a priority from the side of Ministry of Health in Egypt. Raising awareness at both managerial and customer levels about requirements and benefits of accreditation to the hospital, customers and staff is very crucial.