ArticleBMC health services research2026
How can Iran's hospital accreditation standards align with ISQua?
Article in BMC health services research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHospital accreditation is a voluntary program that external evaluators evaluate hospitals based on predetermined standards. Well-designed standards play a crucial role in achieving the objectives of accreditation namely improving quality and ensuring patient safety. The aim of this study is to compare Iran's hospital accreditation standards with the requirements of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) and propose corrective measures to enhance service quality.
methodsThis study employed a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) sequential explanatory design, conducted between 2022 and 2023. Data were collected from 233 employees involved in the accreditation process at selected hospitals and analyzed using Excel software, based on a researcher-developed checklist aligned with ISQua requirements. Additionally, 19 accreditation experts were interviewed using a content analysis approach, and corrective solutions were proposed. The qualitative data were analyzed using MAXQDA software.
resultsCompliance with ISQua's standards averaged 0.80, with the content and framework of standards scoring 0.82 and 0.76, respectively. High compliance was observed in patient referrals (0.99), while quality care reporting exhibited notably low compliance (0.33). The recommended solutions were categorized into three main areas: revising standards, improving the education process, and reforming governance policies. Furthermore, 20 subthemes were identified.
conclusionThe results indicate satisfactory compliance with the accreditation standards of Iranian hospitals aligned with ISQua's guidelines. Therefore, it is crucial to implement both corrective measures and supplementary initiatives to enhance these standards and better align them with ISQua Association's requirements. To identify opportunities for improving Iran's accreditation standards, it is necessary to revise the structure and composition of these standards in accordance with the findings and to reflect the diverse range of hospitals across the country. By evaluating the standards based on evidence and real-world conditions, steps can be taken to advance the current status and achieve the objectives of accreditation. Additionally, the continuous and practical training of managers and stakeholders involved with the standards is key recommendation of this study.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.