Accreditation: a tool for organizational change in hospitals?
Examines the dynamics of change that operated following preparations for accreditation. The study was conducted from May 1995 to October 2001 in a university hospital center in France after the introduction in 1996 of mandatory accreditation. An embedded explanatory case study sought to explore the organizational changes: a theoretical framework for analyzing change was developed; semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires addressed to the hospital's professionals were used and documents were collected; and qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out. Professionals from clinical and medico-technical departments participated most. Preparations for accreditation provided an opportunity to reflect non-hierarchically on the treatment of patients and on the hospital's operational modalities by creating a locus for exchanges and collegial decision making. These preparations also led to giving greater consideration to results of exit surveys and to committing procedures to paper, and were a key opportunity for introducing a continuous quality program.
Pomey
Marie-Pascale
MP
Faculty of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Contandriopoulos
André-Pierre
AP
François
Patrice
P
Bertrand
Dominique
D
D000068:Accreditation; D003625:Data Collection; D005602:France; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000592:standards*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care