|
 
 |
| EDITORIAL |
|
| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 8
| Issue : 2 | Page : 75-76 |
|
NABH: Should clinicians contemplate over quality of clinical care?
Sangeeta Pankaj
Department of Gynecological Oncology, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar, India
| Date of Submission | 23-Aug-2022 |
| Date of Acceptance | 23-Aug-2022 |
| Date of Web Publication | 2-Sep-2022 |
Correspondence Address:
Sangeeta Pankaj
Academic Section, Second Floor, Journal of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/jigims.jigims_39_22
How to cite this article:
Pankaj S. NABH: Should clinicians contemplate over quality of clinical care?. J Indira Gandhi Inst Med Sci 2022;8:75-6 |
“When we are ill, we want to know that we have a clinician whose technical knowledge and skills we can be sure of, on whose honesty we can rely and who will treat us empathetically with the respect and courtesy to which we are entitled. We need to be sure that the hospital or primary care team to which our doctor belongs works effectively and safely, so we can be assured that we are getting good quality care. And we need good access to care.”
-Sir Donald Irvine
It is challenging to overstate the significance of accreditation in health care. Every health-care institution has some form of internal operating standards and norms. Nonetheless, accreditation assures that an organization adheres to the norms and criteria established by a recognized, external entity. It is analogous to the difference between telling someone you are brilliant and actually flaunting your some Ivy League college credentials. Accreditation is like an external seal of approval for an organization, attesting to the fact that adheres to best practices and industry standards. Achieving Accreditation implies holding caregivers to high standards of patient care. Accreditation has been demonstrated in research to enhance the overall quality of care delivered in health-care institutions. Hospital is a place where one would rarely want to be in, because it evokes the feeling of uneasiness. Most people's apprehension stems from their lack of knowledge about hospitals and the treatment quality they provide in reality. Patient trust is essential in health care because patients confide their personal health – and most often their lives – to health-care professionals. NABH has given reassurance to patients that their lives are in safe hands and transparency will be shown in their treatment. Potential patients are more likely to choose a NABH accredited hospital over one that is not accredited. The guideline ensures that patients will get consistently high-quality treatment across the hospital. NABH is a constituent body of quality council of India (QCI) that was established to create and manage programs for health-care organizations that are related to accreditation. NABH certification has given a mark of distinction to the organization, upgrading the organization's prominence. Quality standards have served as the foundation for an unbiased assessment of the procedure and have also helped the health-care organizations in analyzing, evaluating, and enhancing their performance. International society for quality in healthcare (ISQUA), the apex entity accrediting the accreditators, has certified NABH standards, hence making NABH at par with the world's most prestigious hospital accreditation. NABH is not a one-time process. It is a never-ending cyclical process of setting, attaining, and revisiting the goals for constant evolution. NABH has played an important role in revolutionizing the health-care landscape. It is fundamentally a framework that facilitates health-care organizations in implementing objective systems intended at patient safety and quality services established through a holistic Total Quality Management approach. NABH standards are grouped into two categories: patient-centered standards and organizational-centered standards. The fascinating thing about these standards is that they are dynamic, which has allowed for continuous quality improvement all through the process. For any nation, the backbone for growth includes its exceptional health-care facility and NABH standards are competent enough in ensuring that the patient can count on the hospital for the top-notch services rendered to them. It is quite noteworthy that how NABH accreditation had played a crucial role in enhancing and sustaining high-quality patient care. NABH facilitates each clinical segment and administers it through distinctive, transparent, and standardized policies. It has safeguarded the safety of patients and equipped them with acceptable medical and health-care services. It has also ensured that these treatments are rendered by well-trained and experienced medical professionals to cater to enhance patient satisfaction. It undermines a hospital's determination in giving exceptional treatment. Furthermore, it enhances the staff's self-assurance as they deliver these services to the greatest extent possible. Patient satisfaction is a key indicator of how well health care is delivered and is just as relevant like any other clinical health parameter. The health-care organizations have witnessed marked changes and have transitioned from physician-centered-to-patient-centered approaches. The current competitive scenario is emphasizing more on patient satisfaction by providing all safe, effective, efficient, timely, and equitable health-care services. Therefore, it is imperative that we take all reasonable steps to minimize errors and enhance patient safety. NABH operates on the principles of quality assurance, evidence-based practice, medical ethics, and prevention of medical error while delivering access, affordability, efficiency, quality, and effectiveness of care. It apprises the organization of any shortcomings that must be rectified to comply with the standardized guidelines. Some fundamental criteria that NABH focuses on for rendering quality patient care are that one would never find a quack in a NABH hospital. Treatment is only administered by doctors and nurses whose qualifications and experience have been thoroughly checked. It has maintained transparency in charges and full information on treatment charges are disclosed right at the beginning of any procedure. In NABH hospitals, patients' rights are respected and protected and patient satisfaction is regularly evaluated. Cleanliness and hygiene have been given paramount importance and hospital-acquired infection is also prevented using stringent control procedures. One of the standards in NABH is Patient Safety and Quality Improvement which encourages an environment of patient safety. A structured patient safety program is developed, executed, and maintained by a multidisciplinary safety committee. The committee is responsible for proactive risk assessment in both clinical and nonclinical processes and areas. Conducting audits and assessments with external organizations and professionals can help observe and analyze the environment from a fresh and unbiased perspective. The results of such an assessment steer the health-care facility to address the most pressing issues and implement improvements, ultimately raising the quality of patient care provided. Thus, concluding that achieving and maintaining NABH accreditation has given a clear picture of how to constantly improve the health-care sector for years to come. In an era of continuous improvement in the health-care delivery process, NABH is the most needed accreditation and is a panacea for health-care sector.
Acknowledgment
Dr. Rashmi Singh, Resident, Department of Hospital Administration, SGPGIMS, Lucknow.
|
Search Pubmed for