Procedure for Managing Institutional Accreditation in a University Pediatric Hospital

Abstract

Hospital accreditation has established itself as one of the most significant mechanisms for ensuring quality of care, patient safety, and organizational efficiency within contemporary healthcare systems. In the pediatric context, these requirements take on a unique dimension due to the biological and social vulnerability of the patients being treated. This paper presents the implementation of a procedure for managing institutional accreditation at William Soler Ledea University Pediatric Hospital, as well as its impact on organizational culture, service quality, and institutional performance. An integrative approach was adopted, combining quality management tools, participatory methodologies, and the systematic evaluation of standards. The procedure was structured into distinct stages, which enabled the achievement of 97.4% compliance rate with the evaluated standards. The results demonstrated not only high technical performance but also significant transformations in institutional culture, staff engagement, and the users' perception of quality. Recent scientific evidence supports the view that accreditation, when managed as a continuous process, fosters improvements in care delivery processes and patient safety. It is concluded that the implemented procedure constitutes an effective, sustainable, and replicable tool for use in other contexts within the healthcare system.