Is accreditation linked to hospital infection rates? A 4-year, data linkage study of<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>rates and accreditation scores in 77 Australian acute hospitals

Abstract

There is a strong evidence base for using SAB rates to measure the impact of infection control programs that are assessed during accreditation. However, there is less evidence to support whether accreditation scores accurately reflect implementation of the infection control accreditation standards. This impacts identification of indicators to measure patient safety and quality of care, especially in ensuring these are appropriate across a range of hospital size and activities.