Author/Editor:   Deeble Institute - Dr Reece Hinchcliff, Dr Anne-marie Boxall, Mr Krister H Partel, Dr David Greenfield and Prof Jeffrey Braithwaite Publication Date:   11/04/2013

Accreditation programs are deployed widely to monitor and promote safety and quality in healthcare. Governments, health service organisations and accreditation agencies have invested considerable resources into accreditation programs, but to date evidence of their effectiveness is limited and varied in some areas. Without more robust evidence – on what aspects of accreditation programs work, in what contexts and why – policymakers will have to continue drawing on expert opinion, small-scale program evaluations and cautious comparative assessments of the literature when reviewing, revising or implementing  accreditation programs.