[Catalonia's primary healthcare accreditation model: a valid model]

Abstract

There are few experiences of accreditation models validated by primary care teams (EAP). The aim of this study was to detail the process of design, development, and subsequent validation of the consensus EAP accreditation model of Catalonia. An Operating Committee of the Health Department of Catalonia revised models proposed by the European Foundation for Quality Management, the Joint Commission International and the Institut Català de la Salut and proposed 628 essential standards to the technical group (25 experts in primary care and quality of care), to establish consensus standards. The consensus document was piloted in 30 EAP for the purpose of validating the contents, testing standards and identifying evidence. Finally, we did a survey to assess acceptance and validation of the document. The Technical Group agreed on a total of 414 essential standards. The pilot selected a total of 379. Mean compliance with the standards of the final document in the 30 EAP was 70.4%. The standards results were the worst fulfilment percentage. The survey target that 83% of the EAP found it useful and 78% found the content of the accreditation manual suitable as a tool to assess the quality of the EAP, and identify opportunities for improvement. On the downside they highlighted its complexity and laboriousness. We have a model that fits the reality of the EAP, and covers all relevant issues for the functioning of an excellent EAP. The model developed in Catalonia is a model for easy understanding.

Keywords: Accreditation; Acreditación; Atención primaria; Calidad; Evaluación; Evaluation; Primary care; Quality.