Factors Influencing the Implementation of Hospital Accreditation and Continuous Quality Improvement of Community Hospitals in the 8th Health Region in Office of the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Public Health of Thailand

Abstract

     This survey research aimed to (1) investigate factors influencing the accreditation and quality development processes of small community hospitals in Health Region 8 under the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, and (2) examine factors affecting the continuous quality improvement and accreditation processes of these hospitals. The study population comprised 816 personnel from nine small community hospitals in Health Region 8 without accreditation. A sample of 389 participants was selected using proportional sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire covering personal factors, structural factors, process factors, and outcomes of continuous quality improvement and accreditation. The questionnaire demonstrated a content validity index 0.91 and a reliability coefficient of 0.87. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression.
     The findings revealed that (1) among personal factors, 78.15 % of participants were female, 82.52% had less than 5 years of experience in quality-related work, and 64.78 % had attended quality development training. (2) Structural factors in community hospital quality service development (leadership and communication), process factors (information accessibility and patient involvement), and staff experience in hospital quality development training significantly influenced the accreditation process and continuous quality improvement.