Staff and Surveyor Training in Low- and Middle-Income Countries as an Enabler for Hospital Accreditation and Value-based Healthcare - SHAPE International Symposium 2025

Abstract

Objective: To examine the context of Hospital Accreditation Programs (HAPs) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): 1) training of health staff; 2) training and professional development for accreditation surveyors.

Design: Qualitative study

Setting: Thirty purposively selected representatives from national HAPs and international accreditation and funding agencies were interviewed using a semi-structured guide.

Main Outcome Measures: Methods, importance, competencies, challenges and innovative strategies of training health staff and surveyors in HAPs in LMICs

Results: Staff competencies are important for quality improvement (QI) and maintaining organisational and quality culture. Innovative strategies included training of internal assessors and initial pre-assessment training. Maintenance of competencies amidst staff turnover was reported as a major challenge.

Surveyor training usually includes in-person didactic training, practical skills-based experiential training, observation of surveys, and refresher training. Required competencies were based on facilitating QI, assessment methodologies, and report writing. Reported challenges were a lack of time for training. Innovative strategies included virtual training and annual conferences.

Conclusions: Training of staff and surveyors is an important component of effective and viable hospital HAP implementation in LMICs. Global programs follow comparable strategies for staff and surveyor training. This research has identified several innovative strategies, which could be further developed, evaluated and disseminated.