The Impact of Joint Commission International Healthcare Accreditation on Infection Control Performance: A Study in Dubai Hospital

Objective – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vision 2021 aims to achieve a world-class healthcare system and the national agenda has set multiple Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to accomplish accreditation by all healthcare facilities in the country by 2021. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation on Infection Control (IC) KPIs in Dubai Hospital (DH). Methodology/Technique – A longitudinal case study covering 2007 to 2013 was conducted to examine this impact based on secondary data of the KPIs during this period and semi-structured interviews with senior health officials. Findings – The study reveals that the healthcare accreditation acts as a catalyst for implementing and monitoring changes but it also underscores some challenges. It proposes recommendations such as improving surveillance systems, ensuring proper resources allocation, and undertaking further research. Novelty – The study recommends improving the surveillance and reporting systems at the national level through frequent internal surveys. Type of Paper: Empirical.