The Decision to Accredit: The Voting Process of The Australian Council on Hospital Standards

Abstract

The decision whether or not to accredit a hospital is the principal method of regulation of hospital practice available to the Australian Council on Hospital Standards (ACHS). This decision is made by the ACHS's councillors who represent various hospital and medical organisations. The decision-making process was studied to ascertain the relationship between the stated objectives of the ACHS and the criteria used in the decision to accredit. It was found that there were a number of considerations extraneous to the official standards which operated in decision-making. These considerations were related to decision-making theories and the implication of such extraneous factors for the implementation of the official policies of the ACHS discussed. Suggestions are also made for improving the present approximate and subjective decision process so that the official objectives can become operational.

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