Health service accreditation reinforces a mindset of high-performance human resource management: lessons from an Australian study

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Author(s)
Greenfield, D
Kellner, A
Townsend, K
Wilkinson, A
Lawrence, SA
Year published
2014
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Objective. To investigate whether an accreditation program facilitates healthcare organizations (HCOs) to evolve and maintain high-performance human resource management (HRM) systems. Design. Cross-sectional multimethod study. Setting and participants. Healthcare organizations participating in the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program (EQuIP 4) between 2007 and 2011. Main outcome measures. Ratings across the EQuIP 4 HRM criteria, a clinical performance measure, surveyor reports (HRM information) and interview data (opinions and experiences regarding HRM and accreditation). ...
View more >Objective. To investigate whether an accreditation program facilitates healthcare organizations (HCOs) to evolve and maintain high-performance human resource management (HRM) systems. Design. Cross-sectional multimethod study. Setting and participants. Healthcare organizations participating in the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program (EQuIP 4) between 2007 and 2011. Main outcome measures. Ratings across the EQuIP 4 HRM criteria, a clinical performance measure, surveyor reports (HRM information) and interview data (opinions and experiences regarding HRM and accreditation). Results. Healthcare organizations identified as high performing on accreditation HRM criteria seek excellence primarily because of internal motivations linked to best practice. Participation in an accreditation program is a secondary and less significant influence. Notwithstanding, the accreditation program provides the HCO opportunity for internal and external review and assessment of their performance; the accreditation activities are reflective learning and feedback events. Conclusions. This study reveals that HCOs that pursue highly performing HRM systems use participation in an accreditation program as an opportunity. Their organizational mindset is to use the program as a tool by which to reflect and obtain feedback on their performance so to maintain or improve their management of staff and delivery of care.
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View more >Objective. To investigate whether an accreditation program facilitates healthcare organizations (HCOs) to evolve and maintain high-performance human resource management (HRM) systems. Design. Cross-sectional multimethod study. Setting and participants. Healthcare organizations participating in the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program (EQuIP 4) between 2007 and 2011. Main outcome measures. Ratings across the EQuIP 4 HRM criteria, a clinical performance measure, surveyor reports (HRM information) and interview data (opinions and experiences regarding HRM and accreditation). Results. Healthcare organizations identified as high performing on accreditation HRM criteria seek excellence primarily because of internal motivations linked to best practice. Participation in an accreditation program is a secondary and less significant influence. Notwithstanding, the accreditation program provides the HCO opportunity for internal and external review and assessment of their performance; the accreditation activities are reflective learning and feedback events. Conclusions. This study reveals that HCOs that pursue highly performing HRM systems use participation in an accreditation program as an opportunity. Their organizational mindset is to use the program as a tool by which to reflect and obtain feedback on their performance so to maintain or improve their management of staff and delivery of care.
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Journal Title
International Journal for Quality in Health Care
Copyright Statement
© 2014 Oxford University Press. This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in International Journal for Quality in Health Care following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Health service accreditation reinforces a mindset of high-performance human resource management: lessonsfrom an Australian study, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, Volume 26, Issue 4, 2014, Pages 372-377, is available online at: dx.doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzu039.
Subject
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Human resources management
Psychology
Applied economics
Health services and systems
Policy and administration