Developing a Hospital Accreditation Surveyors Model: Delphi Study

Abstract Background: Accreditation surveyors determine the quality and safety status of hospital services by inspecting facilities, equipment and supplies; reviewing documents; interviewing staff, patients and their families; analyzing performance indicators; and informing the public in the form of an accreditation score. The Iranian hospital accreditation surveyors faces several challenges. The overall aim of this study was to develop a model for Iran national hospital accreditation surveyors model according to ISQua requirements. Methods: This research uses the modified Delphi technique to develop and verify a model of Hospital Accreditation Surveyors. The first draft of the Hospital Accreditation Surveyors model was introduced through a critical review of 20 pioneer accreditation models and semi-structured interviews with 151 key informants from Public, private, semi-public, charity and military hospitals in Iran. two rounds of Delphi were conducted with 28 experts of hospital accreditation to verify the proposed model. Panel members were selected from authors of research articles and key speakers in the area of hospital accreditation, senior managers of the country’s health system, university professors in the fields of health policy and management across the country.Results: A comprehensive model for hospital accreditation surveyors in two parts of conceptual and procedural was introduced and verified in this study. In this model, a set of criteria are developed for surveyor selection in the domains of personality, attitude, qualifications, work experience, knowledge and skills, and behavior. Ways of empowering surveyors and the content of basic, advanced, and continuous training courses were identified. Deployment, compensation, and composition of accreditation teams and the tasks assigned to the surveyors are also determined. Finally, the evaluation methods of surveyor and surveyor management plan are identified.Conclusion: A comprehensive hospital accreditation surveyors model was developed and verified. Systematic thinking is one of the advantages of the proposed model for Iranian hospital accreditation surveyors. In this model, special attention is paid to the selection, training, deployment, compensation, and evaluation of surveyors. Hospital accreditation bodies can use this model to develop or revise their hospital accreditation surveyors’ models.