CLIENT-CENTERED ACCREDITATION

The Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation has restructured its approach to health services accreditation, moving from a focus on hospital departments to what is termed a client-centred approach. This was a response to the philosophy of Continuous Quality Improvement, which has caused a rethinking of the approach to accreditation. The process of change has required total revision of the standards used, moving the focus from individual hospital or health service departments, to standards which describe the main processes of patient care within the organization. This has resulted in the need for new survey techniques and award structures.