Promoting patients’ rights through hospital accreditation

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, hospitals in many countries, including Israel, have undergone an accreditation process aimed at improving the quality of services provided. This process also refers to the protection and promotion of patients’ rights. However, reviewing the criteria and content included in this category in the Israeli context reveals definitions and implications that differ from those presented by the law – specifically the Patient’s Rights Act 1995. Moreover, the rights included in it are not necessarily equally represented in other legislation. METHODS: This study seeks to examine the question of whether and to what extent the scope, contents, and definitions of patients’ rights in the JCI Standards are similar to or different from patients’ rights as they are addressed and protected in national legislation. The article provides a comparison and examination of the different regulatory frameworks of patients’ rights, especially those in the accreditation of healthcare institution and legislation, analyzes the gaps between such frameworks, and suggests possible implications on our understanding of the concept of patients’ rights. RESULTS: The patients’ right chapter in the accreditation process introduces and promotes the concepts of patient and family rights, increases the awareness and compliance of such concepts, and may create greater consistency in their introduction and application. CONCLUSIONS: Discussion of the Israeli case not only demonstrates how regulatory frameworks are instrumental – for broader policy purposes, especially in the area of patients’ rights and the rights of patients’ families – but also calls for a more general examination of the concept of patients’ rights in health policies and its contribution to the quality of health services. Reference to patients’ rights in accreditation of healthcare institutions may promote and enhance this concept and contribute to the delivery of care, thereby complementing a lacuna in the law.