Health Services Accreditation Standards for Information management in Canada, New Zealand and USA: A Comparative Study

Background: In a variety of industries, accreditation is recognized as a symbol of quality indicating that the organization meets certain performance standards. In this regard, health records are among the primary documents used by health care facilities to evaluate compliance with the standards set by the accreditation agencies. This study compares the strengths and weaknesses of Information management(IM) standards of three well-established national accreditation agencies in Canada, USA and New Zealand. Methods: This was a comparative-descriptive study in which the IM standards for the national accreditation agencies of Canada (CCHSA), USA (JCAHO) and New Zealand (QHNZ) were collected and investigated through the internet, and e-mail. Results: All of the accrediting agencies have accepted reliability, accuracy, and validity as data quality. JCAHO and CCHSA have adopted maximum standards related to evidence-based decision-making. Achieving positive outcomes was adopted by CCHSA and QHNZ, and is among the strongest points of their standards. Conclusion: These review findings revealed that the CCHSA and QHNZ had adopted the same standards with emphasis on information management planning, achieving positive outcomes and making improvement. While the strong points of JCAHO's standards are patient specific information and evidence- based decision-making.