Impact of short‐notice accreditation assessments on hospitals' patient safety and quality culture—A scoping review

Aim To explore the published evidence describing the impact of short‐notice accreditation assessments on hospitals' patient safety and quality culture. Design Arksey and O'Malley (2005)'s scoping study framework and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis Extension for Scoping reviews (PRISMA‐ScR). Methods A scoping review was conducted to identify papers that provided an evaluation of short‐notice accreditation processes. All reviewers independently reviewed included papers and thematic analysis methods were used to understand the data. Data Sources PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, and ProQuest databases were searched to identify papers published after 2000. Results Totally, 3317 records were initially identified with 64 full‐text studies screened by the reviewers. Five studies were deemed to meet this scoping review's inclusion criteria. All five studies reported variable evidence on the validity of health service or hospital accreditation processes and only three considered the concept of patient safety and quality culture in the context of accreditation. None of the five included studies report the impact of a short‐notice accreditation process on a hospital's patient safety and quality culture. Conclusions Limited evidence exists to report on the effectiveness of hospital short‐notice accreditation models. No study has been undertaken to understand the impact of short‐notice accreditation on patient safety and quality cultures within hospital settings. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care Understanding this topic will support improved hospital quality, safety, policy, and governance. Impact To provide an understanding of the current knowledge base of short‐notice accreditation models and its impact on hospital patient safety and quality culture. Reporting Methods PRISMA reporting guidelines have been adhered to. Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution.