| The research project examines accreditation with rehabilitation staff, exploring its value and meaning as a mechanism of supporting quality improvement in healthcare. Accreditation is a voluntary, external evaluation process of which most healthcare organizations participate. The Saskatoon Health Region Rehabilitation Services have chosen to pursue accreditation as a quality improvement initiative. The literature has identified accreditation as a process to facilitate ongoing quality improvement, although certification itself does not guarantee positive outcomes. Through an action research model, surveys and focus groups were used to discover rehabilitation staff perceptions and understanding of accreditation. This research provided a unique opportunity to explore the leadership, organizational, and staff roles in the self-evaluation process healthcare embraces, in an effort to move accreditation from an administrative process to a framework for ongoing improvement. Royal Roads University's (2007) ethical guidelines guided the research and ensured participants' rights and interests were protected. |
