Mapping service standards and guidelines to support accreditation processes – a case study of a collaborative effort worth replicating

Abstract

Health services respond to myriad practice standards and guidelines that regulate, monitor, and improve the safety and quality of healthcare. Although important, information overload and compliance fatigue for accreditation can be burdensome for service managers and clinicians. To address this, and ultimately improve the safety and quality of care, this case study demonstrates how a mapping exercise was completed to synthesise seven practice standards and guidelines relevant to palliative care; and develop an online resource to aid accreditation efforts and improve palliative care. A working group, comprised of service managers, clinicians, and academics, mapped a state-wide blueprint to improve palliative care against seven unique practice standards and guidelines, most of which were national in scope. This project culminated with a freely available online resource to translate the standards and guidelines for accreditation – a resource that supports service managers and clinicians across public and private health sectors to readily determine whether and how they demonstrated safety and quality in the context of palliative care and pursue accreditation. By developing one matrix, there is opportunity to alleviate information overload and compliance fatigue for service managers and clinicians. Despite its focus on palliative care, this case study demonstrates how to collaboratively map distinct practice standards and guidelines and form a resource to aid accreditation efforts to improve healthcare.