Impact of Accreditation on the Information Management System in Primary Health Care Units in El-Behera Governorate, Egypt

Background: Accreditation is one of increasingly employed method for promoting quality at the primary health care units (PHC). It is a self-assessment and external peer reviewed process used by healthcare organizations to assess their level of performance accurately in relation to the established...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Samaa Zenhom, Noha Saleh, Amira Elaraby
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Alexandria University 2014-06-01
Series:Journal of High Institute of Public Health
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Summary:Background: Accreditation is one of increasingly employed method for promoting quality at the primary health care units (PHC). It is a self-assessment and external peer reviewed process used by healthcare organizations to assess their level of performance accurately in relation to the established standards and to implement ways to improve the healthcare system continuously. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of accreditation on compliance with information management system standards in El-Behera PHC units. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in primary health care facilities in El-Behera Governorate. The study population included PHC units participating in accreditation and PHC units not participating in accreditation selected via a two stage stratified random sampling technique. The data were collected using a checklist developed in concordance with the Egyptian accreditation standards for primary health care facilities 2005 for areas related to the information management system. Accreditation standards were scored on a scale of 0-3 (score 3 given for fully met, 2 for acceptable partially met, 1 for unacceptable partially met and 0 for not met). An average percentage score was calculated (standards average percentage score = total facility score/ Target score X 100). Results: The overall average score percentage for standard is significantly (p< 0.05) higher in accredited units than non-accredited ones (64.5 ± 17.9 versus 39.3 ± 13.6 respectively). The lowest mean score percent in accredited PHC units was demonstrated in almost two standards namely accuracy of medical records and verification of implementation (57.8±9.9 and 55.6±12.5 respectively). Conclusion: There was a significant impact of primary health units' accreditation on the health information management system. However, those accredited units still not reach the desired level in standards regarding accuracy of medical records and verification of implementation.
ISSN:2357-0601
2357-061X