Abstract

NABH ACCREDITATION PROCESS AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR HOSPITALS

Prerna A. Patinge*, Ravindrakumar L. Bakal, Prajakta N. Dongare and Manisha P. More.

ABSTRACT

Indian health care system is currently operating within an environment of rapid social, economical and technical changes and hospitals are an integral part of health care system. Accreditation would be the single most important approach for improving the quality of hospitals. National accreditation system for hospitals ensures that hospitals, whether public or private, national or expatriate, play their expected roles in national health system. Accreditation results in high quality of care and patient safety. Patient rights encompass legal and ethical issues in the provider-patient relationship, including a person’s right to privacy, right to quality medical care without prejudice, right to make informed decisions about care and treatment options, and right to refuse treatment. Quality Management Systems and Accreditation are versatile tools to ensure equity in healthcare services and the meeting the increasing aspirations of people. Optimum/ideal state of patient care can be achieved by the healthcare institution that focuses on compliance with accreditation standards of NABH and like bodies. Gap Analysis is a tool that helps an organization to compare its actual performance with expected/laid down standards. Gap analysis refers to a study where hospital compare the present policy, procedure, SOP’s, infrastructure with defined laid down standards of accreditation body, N.A.B.H. The hospital can get accreditated by NABH by adhering to its laid down patient centric and management centric yardsticks. The study will help us to suggest the necessary changes for improving the patient care and utilization of facilities of specialist hospital to optimum desirable performance standards.

Keywords: NABH, Accrediation, Hospital standards, Assessment.