Impact of hospital accreditation on quality improvement in healthcare: a systematic review.
Much research has been done into patient outcomes at accredited versus non-accredited hospitals, but less research has focused on accreditation as a quality improvement tool or on contextual factors influencing implementation. This systematic review summarizes findings from research into how accreditation impacts quality improvement in hospitals as well as barriers and facilitators of implementation. The findings are mapped to Normalization Process Theory concepts of coherence, cognitive participation, collective action, and reflexive monitoring.