journal N1 2025

Expanded Summary

One of the guarantees of Georgia's economic strength is the health of the country's population and the alignment of the healthcare system with international standards. A significant problem is the study of medical quality and the development and implementation of standards in the hospital sector. The introduction of international accreditation will contribute to raising the level of medical services, which will in turn increase the level of satisfaction of the population. The involvement of hospitals in the accreditation process is of great importance, as this further improves their compliance with accreditation standards.

Certification is a third-party confirmation of the compliance of a product, process or service with specified requirements. Accreditation is the official recognition of the competence and impartiality of a body or person to perform specific tasks, such as certification, testing or inspection. Several leading international healthcare organizations have considered accreditation as a valid marker of quality and have discussed the effectiveness of using accreditation standards as a tool to improve organizational and clinical performance. The use of accreditation standards helps clinics ensure that they have processes in place that ensure patient safety and increase their satisfaction. However, there are many variables that affect quality, such as the organization's management style, changes in clinical direction, and the use of technology, including information technology. These are variables that themselves affect quality.

In ensuring medical quality, great importance is attached to the coordinated work of the administration and medical staff, the principle of teamwork. Medical institutions often conduct customer satisfaction surveys, in which both patients and their family members participate. These surveys are used to evaluate the effective work of staff. It is also necessary to periodically conduct employee surveys to assess their satisfaction.

One of the important components of the accreditation of medical institutions is the assessment of their technological infrastructure, which includes both modern medical equipment and IT infrastructure, the purpose of which is to ensure access to patient health information at the right time and place, and thus ensure the continuity and quality of medical services to improve health outcomes.

The introduction of international accreditation will contribute to raising the level of medical services, which will in turn increase the level of population satisfaction. The Ministry of Health's requirement for clinics to be certified by one of the recommended international organizations will contribute to resolving the above issue.

The study of issues related to the prospects for improving medical services through accreditation in the hospital sector will be carried out using two types of questionnaires, one of which will be intended for clinic management, and the other for medical personnel. The purpose of compiling the questions is to find out to what extent medical institutions consider the introduction of international accreditation necessary, and we will also compile questions to determine how well they are aware of the accreditation requirements. The questionnaire will be compiled for both administrative and clinic personnel. The purpose of the information obtained through the questionnaire is to find out how well clinics provide quality services to the population and how well they are aware of the role of hospital quality management structural units in ensuring the quality of medical services.

At the second stage, face-to-face interviews with hospital administration and clinical personnel will be conducted, and at the third stage, statistical processing of the survey results, analysis of the obtained results and their presentation will be carried out.

Currently, the Ministry of Health has recommended 6 international accreditation organizations, including:

1. Accreditation Canada;  
2. American Accreditation Commission international (AACI);
3. Joint Commission International (JCI);
4. Cooperation for transparency and quality in healthcare (KTQ);
5. TEMOS International Healthcare Accreditation;
6. The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International (ACHS International);

Clinics have the freedom to choose an organization from the list above that meets their needs and, after a period of preparation, obtain the appropriate certificate. This process is quite lengthy and involves certain financial costs and human resource mobilization.

The basic requirements of the listed organizations are the same, namely: patient safety, ensuring the protection of personal data, infection control, rational use of antibiotics, correct and complete production of medical documentation, the presence of high technologies, continuous improvement of the qualifications of doctors in leading foreign clinics, information technology support, etc. 

Keywords: international accreditation, medical quality management, medical personnel, certification, healthcare

JEL Classification: M19, M190