UZ Leuven is the first Belgian hospital to meet the JCI quality standard for safe, high-quality care

UZ Leuven has become the first hospital in Belgium to receive the internationally recognised JCI accreditation. Joint Commission International (JCI) is an organisation which sets the international JCI standards for care quality and patient safety. If inspection by JCI shows that the care institution’s quality system meets the high requirements set by the standards, JCI issues hospital-wide accreditation.

An ongoing focus on quality
With the accreditation project, UZ Leuven seeks to underline its reputation for superior quality. It also aims to stimulate both the continual improvement of its care processes and its quality culture, given that the accreditation reveals points for improvement in an organisation, and checks whether a culture prevails in the organisation of addressing such points and striving to optimise patient care and quality.

Prof. Johan Kips, managing director of UZ Leuven: “Thanks to the constant dedication, motivation and skills of all its personnel, UZ Leuven is able to offer its patients high-quality care. As a result, our hospital has been able to develop into a leading reference centre. In the future, we intend to consolidate and further develop our position as a leading university medical centre. Working at all times for better, safer patient care is the essence of our operating philosophy. We wanted to demonstrate this by having UZ Leuven accredited via an external, independent organisation.”

Key elements of the JCI standards
The JCI standards relate to how care professionals deal with patients, but also to the organisational structure around the patient. The whole process is evaluated with reference to a total of 1,300 measurable elements.

One priority point for attention is the international patient safety goals. Complying with these six standards is a minimum requirement to be eligible for accreditation.

•     Correct patient identification under all circumstances
•     Effective communication throughout the care process
•     Safe use of potentially risky medication
•     Ensuring the correct intervention via the correct procedure
•     Minimising the risk of infections
•     Minimising the risk of falls

Next, other standards relating to high-quality patient care and safety for patients, visitors and personnel are investigated and evaluated in detail. Among other points, these involve:

•     Evaluation and daily monitoring of every patient
•     Safe care in the case of vulnerable patient groups and high-risk procedures
•     Striving for a hospital with less pain
•     Informing the patient accurately via informed consent
•     Managing privacy and confidentiality
•     A safe medication policy
•     Preventing and controlling infections
•     The importance of a good infrastructure
•     What to do in the event of danger, fire or a resuscitation
•     Monitoring the clinical performance of personnel
•     Working with procedures and protocols

Prof. Johan Kips: “This internationally recognised accreditation confirms and reinforces the hospital’s position as a leading European academic care institution. UZ Leuven has thus demonstrated the recognition that its ongoing focus on quality care has brought it. We are proud of obtaining the JCI accreditation. Every UZ Leuven personnel member plays his or her role in the process of safe, high-quality patient care, and this appraisal and recognition is deserved.”

www.jointcommissioninternational.org