CPQIH training to be held at IMA headquarters

IMA recognizes the importance of skill building in a hospital setting as a way of quality management

New Delhi, 14 July 2017: Recognizing the importance of skill building as an important aspect of quality promotion, the IMA will be hosting the next training programme of CPQIH at IMA Head Quarters in New Delhi. Accreditation of hospitals is a step towards helping them improve patient care and has been a regular feature in the developed countries for more than 50 years. This procedure is recognized globally as an effective quality evaluation and management tool.

The Quality Council of India created NABH in 2005. To build capacity and mentor hospitals, especially to fulfil NABH pre-accreditation entry-level certification standards, the CAHO (Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations) initiated the programme for training Certified Professionals for Quality Implementation in Hospitals (CPQIH).

Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, National President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) , Dr RN Tandon – Honorary Secretary General IMA and Dr Vijay Agarwal, President CAHO in a joint statement, said, "The perceived benefits of accreditation and also the mandatory requirements by state and other scheme empanelment have created tremendous demand for accreditation and in turn for well-trained professionals to handhold hospitals at an affordable cost. The process of accreditation provides a visible commitment by an organization to improve the quality of patient care, ensure a safe environment, and to continually work to reduce risks to patients and staff. Accreditation is also about improving the organizational and clinical performance of health services, and not just obtaining a certificate or award or merely assuring compliance with minimum acceptable standards."

The CPQIH programme provides training to Doctors, Nurses, Allied Health Professionals and Administrators of Hospitals who have experience in quality management or interest in quality implementation.

Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, said, "The ability to continuously track and improve performance is a foundational goal of health care reform and one that must be embraced. Quality assurance helps improve effectiveness and efficiency. It also helps in containing costs, maintaining accountability, and in the effort towards reducing errors and increasing safety in the system." 

The army of 246 CPQIH today forms the backbone of CAHO. They are motivated and available to propagate accreditation and quality beyond the borders of their own hospitals. CAHO has become a platform for all these professionals to come together, share best practices, clear their doubts and induct their peer professionals into this journey.

The benefits of accreditation can be summed up as follows.

• It is a transparent system of control over the accredited hospital assuring that the hospital will constantly fulfill all the accreditation criteria.

• On-site survey of the hospital and staff by the experienced accreditation assessment team encourages them to establish educational and performance improvement goals.

• It provides patients with the opportunity to give feedback on the services availed during their stay in the hospital and also express dissatisfaction, if any.

• Ensures that both public and private hospitals play their expected roles in the national health system.