The perception of healthcare employees and the impact of healthcare accreditation on the quality of healthcare in Korea

Abstract

Objective: In order to encourage more hospitals to participate in the accreditation, there needs to be “substantial evidence of the effectiveness of accreditation”. The aim of this study was to identify and analyze healthcare employees’ perceptions of hospital accreditation and the impact of hospital accreditation on the quality of healthcare in Korea.
Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched between June and July 2016. Of the initially identified 392 abstracts, 14 empirical studies on healthcare accreditation in Korea were selected based on the inclusion criteria. These were retrieved and analyzed.
Results: The 14 studies assessed healthcare employees’ perception of hospital accreditation as well as the impact of hospital accreditation on the quality of healthcare. The results were classified into four categories according to perception (Need, Purpose, Intent, and Relevance of standards), and into five categories according to the impact of accreditation (Patient safety and healthcare quality, Satisfaction with hospital employees, Leadership, Organizational culture, and Managerial performance). Findings showed that healthcare employees’ had good understanding of the purpose, need, and intention of the healthcare accreditation system, but indicated that limitations exist with the accreditation standards. Moreover, evidence showed that healthcare accreditation in Korea has made a positive impact on “patient safety and healthcare quality”, “leadership” and “organizational culture”.
Conclusions: Healthcare accreditation has had a positive overall impact on hospitals and has improved the quality of healthcare as well as patient safety. However, more rigorous research and more diverse research methods are required to determine its long-term effect.