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‘Reconciliation Week’s theme for 2019, “Grounded
Lead author Ryan Swiers said that although
in Truth: Walk Together with Courage”, challenges
healthcare quality and safety accreditation
us all to understand the history of our country and
processes are embedded in health systems in
have the courage to be truthful about this history.
more than 70 countries around the world, the
‘Reconciliation is the task of nation building and is not something that will happen quickly.
actual benefits have not received much research attention, and are not well understood.
‘As a nation, we need to acknowledge the past
‘This does not mean, however, that accreditation
200 years and understand its impact on Aboriginal
or the available research are of no value’,
and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Mr Swiers said.
‘We need to have the courage to apologise for
‘Because accreditation is usually a “point in time”
the dispossession and racism experienced by First
audit process, a successful accreditation result
Australians—representing a significant 3.3% of the
cannot guarantee the complete safety of a health
Australian population.
facility. But the available studies do indicate a
‘We need to atone by acting together to improve
positive association between accreditation success
the statistical outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres
and a good safety culture, high quality care, high
Strait Islander peoples under a range of indicators
patient satisfaction and good outcomes.
such as health, education, employment, housing
‘Some studies also demonstrate a positive
and culture.
association between accreditation and quality
‘And we need a process of truth-telling that will
indicators such as infection control and adherence
lead to a treaty and voice for Aboriginal and Torres
to guidelines and protocols.
Strait Islander peoples protected by the Australian constitution—as called for in the Uluru Statement.’
‘However, some organisations view accreditation ha
as a costly, time-consuming bureaucratic burden that adds little value in terms of patient care.’
10 MAY 2019
Accreditation and culture usually go hand-in-hand in health organisations A positive attitude to accreditation usually signifies good leadership and a positive culture in health organisations—and vice versa, says the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA). The Association has released a Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research Evidence Brief, Assessing
‘In such situations accreditation tends to be seen as a separate “event”, with the organisation focusing on short-term compliance rather than long-term continuous improvement— everything reverts to “normal” once the accreditation visit has finished.’ ‘In addition, some commentators suggest that accreditation has “failed” in Australia, pointing to variations in complication rates across Australian hospitals, and safety failures resulting in patient deaths at hospitals in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria’
ha
2018
the value of accreditation to health systems and organisations. The Health Advocate • JUNE 2019
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