Contextual factors favouring success in the accreditation process in Colombian hospitals: a nationwide observational study

BACKGROUND: To identify context factors associated with and predicting success in the hospital accreditation process, and to contribute to the understanding of the relative relevance of context factors and their organizational level in the success of QI initiatives. METHODS: Analytical study of cases and controls in a sample of hospitals of medium and high complexity in Colombia. Cases (n = 16) are accredited hospitals by the time of preparation of the study (2016) and controls (n = 38) are similar facilities, which have not succeeded to obtain accreditation. Eligibility criteria for both groups included complexity (medium and high), having emergency services, an official quality assurance license, and being in operation for at least 15 years. Besides eligibility criteria, geographical location, and type of ownership (public/private) are used to select controls to match cases. Context measures are assessed using a survey instrument based on the MUSIQ model (“Model for Understanding Success in Quality”) adapted and tested in Colombia. Statistical analysis includes descriptive measures for twenty-three context factors, testing for significant statistical differences between accredited and non-accredited hospitals, and assessing the influence and strength of association of context factors on the probability of success in the accreditation process. A multivariate model assesses the predictive probability of achieving accreditation. RESULTS: Eighteen (78.3%) of the twenty-three context factors are significantly different when comparing cases and controls hospitals, particularly at the Microsystem level; all factors are statistically significant in favor of accredited hospitals. Five context factors are strongly associated to the achievement of accreditation but in the logistic multivariable model, only two of them remain with significant OR, one in the Macrosystem, “Availability of economic resources for QI” (OR: 22.1, p: 0,005), and the other in the Microsystem, “Involvement of physicians” (OR: 4.9, p: 0,04). CONCLUSION: This study has applied an instrument, based on the MUSIQ model, which allows assessing the relevance of different context factors and their organizational level in hospitals, to explain success in the accreditation process in Colombia. Internal macrosystem and microsystem seem to be more relevant than external environment factors.