GMJ Knowledge Hub  |  Healthcare Quality Series  |  Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG)

Healthcare Accreditation, Quality, and Patient Safety: Standards, Systems, and Measurable Impact

A comprehensive curated reference hub for healthcare accreditation frameworks, international quality standards, patient safety programmes, and quality improvement methodologies. Compiled by the Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ) in support of Vol. 1, No. 6 (2026) — Healthcare Accreditation, Quality, and Patient Safety: Standards, Systems, and Measurable Impact — as an independent academic and policy resource.

Scope: 11 sections  •  80+ resources  •  ISQua • JCI • WHO • IHI • OECD • AHRQ • Academic  •  Updated: April 2026  •  GMJ Series: gmj.ge  •  Vol. 1, No. 6 (2026)

Contents

I. International Accreditation Bodies and Standards  •  II. National Hospital Accreditation Bodies — Regional Directory  •  III. Origins, Concepts and Global Governance  •  IV. Video Archive and Multimedia  •  V. WHO Quality of Care and Patient Safety Framework  •  VI. Foundational Reports and Landmark Documents  •  VII. Monitoring, Measurement and Data Platforms  •  VIII. Patient Safety — Evidence and Global Programmes  •  IX. Quality Improvement Methodologies  •  X. Accreditation, UHC and Health Systems Strengthening  •  XI. GMJ Thematic Issue and Academic Platform

Accreditation Bodies

I. International Accreditation Bodies and Standards

The global landscape of healthcare accreditation is structured around a set of major international bodies and numerous national programmes. Joint Commission International (JCI), Accreditation Canada International, the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, and ISQua’s own accreditation programme provide the principal benchmarks. Each operates with its own standards framework, survey methodology, and governance structure, yet all share commitment to continuous quality improvement as the core philosophy.

isqua.org

ISQua International Accreditation Programme (IAP) — Accrediting the Accreditors

Source: International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua)  |  Type: Accreditation Programme  |  Year: Active

The ISQua IAP is the only programme that independently evaluates and accredits healthcare accreditation bodies and their standards against internationally agreed principles. Organisations achieving ISQua accreditation demonstrate they meet a rigorous set of criteria covering governance, standards development methodology, surveyor training, and data use. ISQua IAP accreditation is recognised as the highest mark of credibility for an accreditation body and provides the global baseline for comparative accreditation research.

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Accreditation Canada — Qmentum International Programme and Standards

Source: Accreditation Canada  |  Type: Institutional Hub and Standards Framework  |  Year: Active

Accreditation Canada offers the Qmentum International programme, a comprehensive accreditation framework used across Canada and in more than 30 countries internationally. The programme emphasises a continuous improvement philosophy through self-assessment, required organisational practices (ROPs), and peer-reviewed on-site surveys. Its standards span the full continuum of care, from primary care and mental health services to acute and long-term care.

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Joint Commission International — International Accreditation Standards and Programme

Source: Joint Commission International (JCI)  |  Type: Institutional Hub  |  Year: Active

JCI is the world’s largest accreditor of health organisations outside the United States, having accredited more than 1,000 organisations in over 70 countries. Its standards framework covers hospitals, ambulatory care, clinical laboratories, medical transport organisations, and primary care centres, and is widely regarded as the global gold standard for accreditation among internationally oriented health systems. JCI publishes its standards in regularly updated editions and provides surveyors, education, and technical assistance globally.

View Resource JCI Standards

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National Bodies

II. National Hospital Accreditation Bodies — Regional Directory

Healthcare accreditation is practised in virtually every country with a structured health system. This section provides a curated regional directory of national hospital accreditation bodies, with priority given to organisations holding ISQua International Accreditation Programme (IAP) accreditation — the highest independent validation of a national programme’s credibility. Bodies are organised by region: Europe, Middle East and Arab Countries, South and South-East Asia, Africa, and the Americas and Oceania.

isqua.org → ISQua IAP Members

HAS — Haute Autorité de Santé (France) — Hospital Certification Programme V6

Source: Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), France  |  Type: National Accreditation Body (ISQua IAP-accredited)  |  Year: Active — V6 from 2021

HAS is France’s national independent public authority responsible for hospital certification, mandatory for all public and private hospitals under Article L.6113-3 of the Public Health Code. Its sixth-generation programme (V6, launched 2021) integrates continuous digital data collection, patient-reported experience measures, and a risk-based survey cycle. HAS is ISQua IAP-accredited and its methodology is widely cited internationally as a model for outcomes-oriented national accreditation design.

View Resource HAS Main Site

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HCAC — Healthcare Accreditation Council (Jordan)

Source: Healthcare Accreditation Council (HCAC), Jordan  |  Type: National Accreditation Body (ISQua IAP-accredited)  |  Year: Active — est. 2008

HCAC is Jordan’s national healthcare accreditation authority, one of the most advanced in the Arab world, holding ISQua IAP accreditation for both its standards and organisation. Established in 2008 under national legislation, it accredits hospitals, primary care centres, laboratories, pharmacies, and home care services. HCAC has provided technical advisory services to health authorities across the region, establishing Jordan as a hub for accreditation capacity-building in the Middle East.

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CBAHI — Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (Saudi Arabia)

Source: Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI), Saudi Arabia  |  Type: National Accreditation Body (ISQua IAP-accredited)  |  Year: Active — est. 2005

CBAHI is Saudi Arabia’s official national healthcare accreditation body, holding ISQua IAP accreditation for both its standards and organisational processes. It accredits hospitals, primary health care centres, home care organisations, and medical laboratories. With over two decades of standards development, CBAHI represents the leading model for national accreditation in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and the primary reference point for Arabic-language healthcare quality governance across the Middle East.

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GAHAR — General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (Egypt)

Source: General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR), Egypt  |  Type: National Accreditation and Regulatory Authority  |  Year: Active — est. 2018

GAHAR was established by Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance Law (Law No. 2/2018) as the national body for accreditation and facility licensing within the UHI reform. It accredits public and private hospitals, outpatient clinics, diagnostic centres, and pharmacies, directly linking accreditation status to participation in and reimbursement from the Universal Health Insurance System — embedding accreditation as a gateway condition for provider access to the national insurance scheme. One of the most ambitious quality reform programmes in the Arab world.

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NABH — National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (India)

Source: National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), Quality Council of India  |  Type: National Accreditation Body (ISQua IAP-accredited)  |  Year: Active — est. 2006

NABH is India’s national hospital accreditation body, operating under the Quality Council of India with ISQua IAP accreditation. It accredits over 1,000 hospitals and is progressively integrated into Ayushman Bharat, India’s national health protection scheme, creating a direct policy link between accreditation status and access to government health financing. Given India’s health system scale and diversity, NABH’s ISQua-validated status is one of the most significant quality governance achievements in the developing world. Standards cover hospitals, blood banks, oral healthcare, and ophthalmology centres.

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COHSASA — Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (South Africa)

Source: Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA)  |  Type: National Accreditation Body (ISQua IAP-accredited)  |  Year: Active (est. 1995)

COHSASA is Africa’s foremost healthcare accreditation body, established in 1995 and holding ISQua IAP accreditation for both its organisational processes and standards. It operates across South Africa and multiple sub-Saharan countries, accrediting hospitals and clinics at all levels of care. Its work in resource-limited settings has contributed significantly to global knowledge on adapting accreditation for low- and middle-income contexts. Its progressive accreditation pathway provides accessible entry points for facilities at different quality maturity levels.

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ONA — Organização Nacional de Acreditação (Brazil)

Source: Organização Nacional de Acreditação (ONA), Brazil  |  Type: National Accreditation Body (ISQua IAP-accredited)  |  Year: Active (est. 1999)

ONA is Brazil’s national healthcare accreditation body and the leading programme in Latin America, holding ISQua IAP accreditation. Its three-level model — from basic quality compliance (Level 1) through full accreditation (Level 2) to excellence (Level 3 with distinction) — provides a progressive pathway enabling facilities at different quality maturity stages to engage. Brazil now has the highest density of accredited hospitals in Latin America, with ONA integrated into federal quality governance frameworks.

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Accreditation

III. Healthcare Accreditation — Origins, Concepts and Global Governance

Healthcare accreditation emerged in the early twentieth century as a structured mechanism for verifying that health facilities meet defined standards of care. Today it operates globally as the primary external quality assurance mechanism across hospital, primary care, and laboratory settings. The International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) provides the overarching international governance architecture through its International Accreditation Programme (IAP), which accredits the accreditors.

isqua.org

The Quality of Care: How Can it be Assessed? — Avedis Donabedian

Source: Donabedian A / JAMA  |  Type: Foundational Peer-Reviewed Article  |  Year: 1988

The foundational conceptual framework for healthcare quality assessment, introducing the structure–process–outcome triad that underpins all subsequent accreditation and quality improvement models. Donabedian’s framework remains the single most cited theoretical foundation in healthcare quality science and informs the design of every major international accreditation standards programme. Essential reading for all accreditation researchers and practitioners.

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Quality of Care: A Process for Making Strategic Choices in Health Systems

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Policy Framework  |  Year: 2006

WHO’s primary strategic framework document on quality of care, establishing the six dimensions of quality (effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility, acceptability, equity, safety) that inform international accreditation standards. Provides guidance for health ministries on embedding quality governance within national health systems and represents the WHO’s foundational policy articulation in the field.

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ISQua — International Society for Quality in Health Care: Institutional Hub

Source: International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua)  |  Type: Institutional Hub  |  Year: Active

ISQua is the international body that accredits healthcare accreditation organisations worldwide through its International Accreditation Programme (IAP). Founded in 1985, ISQua sets the global benchmark for what constitutes a credible accreditation programme, publishes the International Journal for Quality in Health Care, and convenes the world’s leading annual healthcare quality conference. Its membership spans health ministries, accreditation bodies, healthcare organisations, and academics across 70 countries.

View Resource ISQua IAP

Delivering Quality Health Services: A Global Imperative for Universal Health Coverage

Source: WHO / OECD / World Bank  |  Type: Joint Policy Report  |  Year: 2018

Landmark joint report by WHO, the OECD, and the World Bank establishing that poor-quality care — not lack of access alone — is responsible for an estimated five million deaths per year in low- and middle-income countries. The report positions accreditation and quality governance as core instruments for achieving universal health coverage, and frames quality as an essential dimension of the health system alongside coverage. A defining document for the global quality agenda.

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Video Archive

IV. Video Archive and Multimedia — Accreditation, Quality and Patient Safety

Recordings of major international conferences, WHO expert presentations, IHI educational webinars, and accreditation body training materials. This section provides structured access to multimedia resources for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers engaged with healthcare quality and safety.

ihi.org/education

WHO Patient Safety Multimedia Hub — Videos, Webinars and Expert Series

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Multimedia Hub  |  Year: Active

WHO’s multimedia resources on patient safety, including launch recordings of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan, World Patient Safety Day events, expert webinars, and educational series on surgical safety, medication safety, and diagnostic error. These materials provide direct access to WHO leadership thinking on patient safety priorities and represent the most authoritative video archive on global patient safety policy.

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IHI Open School — Free Online Courses in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

Source: Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)  |  Type: Open Online Education Platform  |  Year: Active

The IHI Open School provides free access to over 30 online courses in patient safety, quality improvement, person-centred care, and healthcare leadership, with more than 750,000 learners enrolled globally. Course content directly supports competency development in quality improvement methodologies, root cause analysis, measurement for improvement, and systems thinking — all central to healthcare accreditation preparation and implementation.

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WHO Framework

V. WHO Quality of Care and Patient Safety — The Overarching Framework

WHO provides the global normative and policy architecture within which accreditation and quality improvement systems operate. The Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030 represents the most ambitious international commitment to patient safety to date, establishing targets, indicators, and accountability mechanisms parallel in ambition to the EWEC Global Strategy for health.

who.int/patient-safety

Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030: Towards Eliminating Avoidable Harm in Health Care

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Global Action Plan  |  Year: 2021

The central WHO document establishing the global patient safety framework through 2030. Endorsed by all WHO Member States through World Health Assembly Resolution WHA74.16, the Action Plan sets out seven strategic objectives covering health system governance, safe clinical practices, medicines safety, diagnostic safety, and workforce competency. It provides the overarching accountability structure for patient safety analogous to the EWEC Global Strategy’s function for reproductive, maternal, and child health.

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World Patient Safety Day — Annual Global Campaign Platform (17 September)

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Global Campaign  |  Year: Annual (since 2019)

Designated by the World Health Assembly in 2019, World Patient Safety Day on 17 September provides the annual global focal point for patient safety advocacy, data dissemination, and policy commitment. Each year’s theme addresses a specific safety challenge, with WHO releasing position documents, challenge packages, and implementation resources. The campaign directly supports accreditation-related awareness and provides country-level materials for hospital quality committees.

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Foundational Reports

VI. Foundational Reports and Landmark Documents

The modern patient safety and quality movement was catalysed by a series of landmark reports that quantified the scale of preventable harm and galvanised systemic reform. These reports — from the US Institute of Medicine’s seminal 1999 and 2001 publications to the 2018 WHO-OECD-World Bank analysis — provide the empirical and normative foundation for all contemporary accreditation frameworks.

nap.nationalacademies.org

To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System

Source: Institute of Medicine (IOM) / National Academies Press  |  Type: Landmark Commission Report  |  Year: 1999

The most cited document in the history of patient safety, estimating that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die annually from preventable medical errors and calling for a comprehensive national patient safety programme. This report single-handedly placed patient safety on the global health policy agenda and directly catalysed the expansion of accreditation standards to include explicit patient safety requirements. No accreditation researcher or practitioner should be unfamiliar with its core findings and recommendations.

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Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century

Source: Institute of Medicine (IOM) / National Academies Press  |  Type: Landmark Commission Report  |  Year: 2001

Companion report to To Err is Human, establishing the six aims for healthcare improvement (safe, effective, patient-centred, timely, efficient, equitable) that now form the foundational quality framework for every major accreditation standards programme globally. The report’s systems-based analysis of quality gaps and its vision of redesigned care processes remain the intellectual foundation for contemporary quality improvement science and accreditation standard-setting.

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High-Quality Health Systems in the Sustainable Development Goals Era: Time for a Revolution

Source: Kruk ME, Gage AD, Arsenault C et al. / The Lancet Global Health  |  Type: Lancet Commission Report  |  Year: 2018

Landmark Lancet Commission report establishing that poor quality of care — not inadequate access — accounts for the majority of preventable deaths in low- and middle-income countries. The Commission’s framework of ‘high-quality health systems’ grounded in population needs, evidence-based interventions, and quality management provides the empirical rationale for investment in accreditation as a systemic quality improvement mechanism. One of the most influential global health publications of the past decade.

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Health Sector Accreditation Research: A Systematic Review

Source: Greenfield D, Braithwaite J / International Journal for Quality in Health Care  |  Type: Systematic Review  |  Year: 2008

The foundational systematic review of the accreditation research literature, synthesising evidence on the impact of accreditation programmes across health system contexts. Identifies persistent methodological challenges in accreditation research, including the difficulty of isolating accreditation effects from other quality initiatives. Remains the most cited reference for the evidence base on healthcare accreditation and the starting point for all subsequent systematic reviews in the field.

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Impact of Accreditation on the Quality of Healthcare Services: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Source: Alkhenizan A, Shaw C / Annals of Saudi Medicine  |  Type: Systematic Review  |  Year: 2011

Systematic review examining the evidence for accreditation’s impact on measurable quality outcomes across hospital, primary care, and laboratory settings. Finds consistent association between accreditation and improvements in organisational culture, clinical governance, and patient safety processes, while noting the limited evidence on direct patient outcome improvements due to methodological constraints. A key reference for evidence-based advocacy for accreditation investment.

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Monitoring and Measurement

VII. Monitoring, Evaluation and Performance Measurement

Robust monitoring and evaluation infrastructure is essential to both accreditation programmes and broader healthcare quality improvement. This section covers the principal data platforms, indicator frameworks, and benchmarking tools used by accreditation bodies, health ministries, and researchers to measure quality, safety, and accreditation impact across health systems.

oecd.org/health

OECD Health at a Glance — Quality and Safety Indicators across OECD and Partner Countries

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)  |  Type: Biennial Statistical Report  |  Year: Biennial

The OECD’s biennial flagship publication tracking health system performance across OECD and partner countries, including dedicated chapters on quality of care and patient safety. Provides the most comprehensive international comparative data on indicators including avoidable hospital admissions, post-discharge mortality, surgical complications, healthcare-associated infections, and patient experience measures — all directly relevant to accreditation standards assessment and benchmarking.

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AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet) — Evidence, Primers and Indicator Resources

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), United States  |  Type: Research and Policy Platform  |  Year: Active

The AHRQ Patient Safety Network is the world’s largest curated repository of patient safety resources, including research articles, patient safety primers on specific hazards, case studies, and links to the AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) — a suite of standardised, validated, administrative-data-based measures widely used in accreditation and quality benchmarking. Also hosts the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, the most comprehensive annual assessment of quality in the US health system.

View Resource NHQDR

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Patient Safety

VIII. Patient Safety — Evidence, Global Programmes and Clinical Safety Standards

Patient safety is the central discipline linking healthcare accreditation to measurable clinical outcomes. This section covers the principal evidence base, global safety campaigns, and clinical safety standards across medication safety, surgical safety, infection prevention, and diagnostic safety — all domains explicitly addressed in international accreditation standards.

who.int/health-topics/patient-safety

Temporal Trends in Rates of Patient Harm Resulting from Medical Care — NEJM

Source: Landrigan CP, Parry GJ, Bones CB et al. / New England Journal of Medicine  |  Type: Original Research  |  Year: 2010

Landmark study using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Global Trigger Tool to measure adverse events in a random sample of hospitalised patients over a decade, finding that rates of harm showed no significant improvement despite widespread patient safety initiatives. The study challenged assumptions about the effectiveness of voluntary incident-reporting systems and strengthened the evidence base for mandatory accreditation-based safety standards with independent verification.

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WHO Medication Without Harm — Third Global Patient Safety Challenge

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Global Safety Challenge  |  Year: 2017–Active

WHO’s third global patient safety challenge, targeting a 50% reduction in severe, avoidable medication-related harm over five years. The challenge addresses three priority areas: high-risk situations, polypharmacy, and care transitions, and provides technical packages directly applicable to accreditation standards on medication management. Medication safety requirements form one of the largest chapters in all major accreditation standards.

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Quality Improvement

IX. Quality Improvement Methodologies and Implementation Science

Quality improvement methodologies — including the Model for Improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, and clinical microsystems approaches — provide the operational tools through which accreditation standards are implemented and sustained. This section covers the major frameworks, educational resources, and peer-reviewed journals that define the field.

ihi.org

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) — Model for Improvement and QI Resources

Source: Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)  |  Type: Improvement Framework and Resource Hub  |  Year: Active

The IHI is the world’s leading quality improvement organisation in healthcare, providing the Model for Improvement — the most widely used QI framework globally — alongside the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle methodology, driver diagrams, run charts, and process mapping tools. The IHI’s resource library contains thousands of practical implementation tools, white papers, and case studies across clinical domains, and its annual National Forum on Quality Improvement convenes the international QI community.

View Resource Model for Improvement

BMJ Quality & Safety — International Peer-Reviewed Journal

Source: BMJ Publishing Group  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Journal  |  Year: Active

BMJ Quality & Safety is one of the world’s leading peer-reviewed journals in healthcare quality improvement and patient safety, publishing original research, systematic reviews, qualitative studies, commentaries, and education articles. It provides the primary academic evidence base for researchers submitting to the GMJ thematic issue on accreditation and patient safety, covering implementation science, measurement, organisational learning, and system redesign.

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Accreditation and UHC

X. Accreditation, Universal Health Coverage and Health Systems Strengthening

Universal Health Coverage demands not only breadth of access but depth of quality — a distinction that positions accreditation as structurally central to UHC implementation. This section covers the intersection of accreditation with UHC frameworks, SDG Goal 3, and health systems strengthening agendas, including the academic evidence on accreditation as a governance mechanism for quality assurance within UHC strategies.

who.int/health-topics/universal-health-coverage

Universal Health Coverage — WHO Programme Hub and UHC Service Coverage Index

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Programme Hub and Data Platform  |  Year: Active

WHO’s primary UHC hub provides access to the UHC Service Coverage Index, monitoring progress towards SDG Target 3.8 across 14 tracer indicators organised under reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and health system capacity. The UHC framework explicitly incorporates quality of care as a dimension of coverage, making accreditation a structural component of achieving UHC rather than a supplementary activity.

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Does Accreditation Stimulate Change? A Series of Studies of Effects and Blömberg’s Social Enterprise Analysis

Source: Mumford V, Forde K, Greenfield D, Hinchcliff R, Braithwaite J / BMC Health Services Research  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Research Series  |  Year: 2013

A series of studies examining whether accreditation drives actual organisational change, using mixed methods to assess staff perceptions, quality improvement activities, and clinical outcomes in accredited versus non-accredited Australian hospitals. Finds that accreditation generates significant improvements in teamwork, communication, and governance processes, but that the magnitude of clinical outcome improvement is context-dependent. Provides a nuanced evidence base for policy debate on accreditation’s role in health systems strengthening.

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Legacy and Future

XI. GMJ Thematic Issue, Academic Platform and Call for Contributions

Resources addressing the GMJ’s academic platform for healthcare accreditation, quality, and patient safety, including the call for contributions for Vol. 1, No. 6 (2026), the leading international peer-reviewed journals in the field, and selected institutional resources for prospective contributors.

gmj.ge

Georgia — Publisher of This Knowledge Hub

International Journal for Quality in Health Care — Official ISQua Journal (Oxford University Press)

Source: Oxford University Press / ISQua  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Journal  |  Year: Active (since 1988)

The official journal of ISQua, the International Journal for Quality in Health Care (IJQHC) is the primary peer-reviewed publication dedicated exclusively to healthcare quality improvement and accreditation research. Published by Oxford University Press, it covers original research, systematic reviews, and commentaries across all dimensions of quality management, patient safety, accreditation evaluation, and implementation science. Prospective GMJ contributors are encouraged to review IJQHC’s scope for thematic alignment.

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Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ)  —  Healthcare Accreditation, Quality, and Patient Safety  —  Vol. 1, No. 6 (2026)  —  gmj.geDOI prefix: 10.66636  •  Open Access  •  CC BY 4.0  •  Updated April 2026