Abstract: ABSTRACT
Background: Accreditation is a process of assessing a hospital. It includes a self-assessment
against a set of standards and an external assessment followed by a report. Jordan, has
started developing and applying accreditation in its healthcare organizations.
Aim: This study aims to explore the barriers associated with applying an accreditation
programme in hospitals in Jordan, from the perspective of doctors and nursing staff.
Method: This study is qualitative in nature, adopting a case study method, with face-to-face
interviews as the key instrument of data collection in two hospitals in Jordan. The sample
interviewed consisted of 25 doctors and nurses in total.
Result: Four key barriers to accreditation were identified in the sampled hospitals: lack of
motivation, low salaries, and poor incentives, workload, the cost of accreditation
implementation, staff shortages, and high staff turnover. The investigation also offers
recommendations for enhancing the implementation of accreditation in Jordanian hospitals.
Conclusion: This study explored the main barriers to successful accreditation in Jordanian
hospitals; thereby making an original contribution to existing knowledge, as it is the first
empirical exploration of the implementation of accreditation in the above-mentioned
context. As such, it has attempted to offer an in-depth understanding of the factors
impacting this process.