Open research questions in Healthcare Quality and Management

What the literature leaves open

• The long-term efficacy of hospital accreditation in sustaining IPC practices remains debated. There is a lack of longitudinal studies evaluating the outcomes of hospital accreditation.

  Sustaining Infection Prevention and Control Post-Accreditation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Global Longitudinal Outcomes · 2026 · DOI

• The paper notes that the UK's often litigious culture can make it difficult for doctors to learn from mistakes. The creation of 'safe spaces' for whistle-blowers to speak up with legal protection is needed.

  Duty of candour in medicine · 2018 · DOI

• The need for a supportive working environment and honest learning culture in making candour effective. The challenge of creating 'safe spaces' for whistle-blowers to speak up with legal protection.

  Duty of candour in medicine · 2018 · DOI

• The lack of research on the structural characteristics of hospital organizations. The need to investigate whether hospital organizations evidence similar structural characteristics as more traditional bureaucratic organizations.

  A Causal Model of Hospital Structure · 1985 · DOI

• The challenge of providing high-quality counseling services to students with diverse needs. The challenge of balancing the confidentiality of counseling relationships with the need to inform responsible authorities in cases of clear and imminent danger.

  Accreditation Guidelines for University and College Counseling Services · 1982 · DOI

• The need for updated accreditation guidelines for university and college counseling services. The lack of clear professional standards for the operation of university counseling services.

  Accreditation Guidelines for University and College Counseling Services · 1982 · DOI

• The paper identifies a gap in the recognition of college health centers as legitimate providers of care. The author highlights the need for accreditation to fulfill requirements for licensure and third-party payments.

  Accreditation of College and University Health Programs—Why Have it and who Should Do It? · 1982 · DOI

• The study does not provide a comprehensive analysis of all accrediting agencies. The study relies on a limited set of data, including the dates of adoption or revision of ninety sets of standards.

  Accreditation Standards and Guidelines: A Profile · 1980 · DOI

• There is a need for more information about the structure, policies, criteria, and procedures of accrediting agencies. There is a lack of standardization among accrediting agencies.

  Accreditation Standards and Guidelines: A Profile · 1980 · DOI

• Further study on the implementation of the baccalaureate degree in nursing as minimum preparation, - Further examination of the competence of practitioners and the quality of care provided

  The Role of the American Nurses' Association in Maintaining Professional Accountability · 1979 · DOI

• The lack of a minimum educational requirement for entry into nursing practice, - The need for a national system of accreditation of continuing education activities in nursing

  The Role of the American Nurses' Association in Maintaining Professional Accountability · 1979 · DOI

• The techniques for determining the criterion score are often arbitrary and lack a clear method. The paper highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of the issue.

  STANDARDS AND CRITERIA · 1978 · DOI

• The double standard in the current accreditation process, - The need for increased participation of professional societies, - The challenge of maintaining quality control and accountability

  Suggested Procedures for Moving from Programmatic Accreditation to Peer Review Under Broader Institutional Accreditation · 1976 · DOI

• The lack of administrative standards. The diversity of organizations in the human services delivery system. The need for measurable objectives and standards.

  Administrative standards · 1975 · DOI

• The study had a limited sample size of 296 patients. The study only included patients with three specific medical conditions. The study did not include a control group.

  Quality of care assessment: policy relevant issues · 1974 · DOI

• The paper identifies the gap in the accountability of higher education institutions to the needs of society. The attempt to create standards for master's programs is not new.

  Credentials versus standards · 1973 · DOI

• The challenge of reexamining social institutions to meet current social needs - The challenge of involving representatives of various interests in corporate governance

  Accreditation and social change · 1972 · DOI

• The need for social institutions to serve new functions and question former positions - The lack of representation of various interests in corporate governance

  Accreditation and social change · 1972 · DOI

• The survey only covered students who gained the certificate in a specific period and at a specific college. The sample size is limited to 328 students.

  Holders of the higher national certificate (building) · 1960 · DOI

• Further research could investigate the effectiveness of the certificate in different industries and contexts. The recognition of the certificate by other professional institutions could be explored.

  Holders of the higher national certificate (building) · 1960 · DOI

• The sample was limited to male veterans. Female patients were not included in the study. Patients hospitalized on the neuropsychiatric-tuberculosis service were excluded from the study.

  Factors influencing the request for and disposition of AMA discharges1 · 1957 · DOI

• There is a lack of published literature on the topic of AMA discharges. The decision-making process involved in granting an AMA discharge is not well understood.

  Factors influencing the request for and disposition of AMA discharges1 · 1957 · DOI

• The complexity of organizational structures in hospital organizations. The need to consider the distinction between two types of bureaucracy.

  A Causal Model of Hospital Structure · 1985 · DOI

• Further evaluation of the revised accreditation manual for hospitals. Assessment of the impact of the revised hospital-based psychiatric standards.

  Joint commission on accreditation of hospitals · 1982 · DOI

• The need for an evaluation of the advisory committee structure. The need for a revision of the accreditation manual for hospitals.

  Joint commission on accreditation of hospitals · 1982 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Healthcare Quality and Management

• Quality improvement in healthcare: Six Sigma systematic review · Health Policy · 2020 · 113 citations
• Ensuring high‐quality patient care: the role of accreditation, licensure, specialty certification and revalidation in medicine · Medical Education · 2013 · 71 citations
• Measuring, Reporting, and Rewarding Quality of Care in 5 Nations: 5 Policy Levers to Enhance Hospital Quality Accountability · Milbank Quarterly · 2017 · 60 citations
• The development of hospital accreditation in low- and middle-income countries: a literature review · Health Policy and Planning · 2020 · 58 citations
• Quality assurance in health professions education: Role of accreditation and licensure · Medical Education · 2022 · 44 citations
• Accreditation of Viet Nam’s higher education · Quality Assurance in Education · 2017 · 40 citations
• Does higher Institutional Quality improve the Appropriateness of Healthcare Provision? · Journal of Public Economics · 2021 · 32 citations
• Competency Evaluations in the Next Accreditation System: Contributing to Guidelines and Implications · Teaching and Learning in Medicine · 2016 · 31 citations
• Quality complacency in Indian higher education institutions between the second and third cycles of accreditation · Quality Assurance in Education · 2022 · 23 citations
• Credentialing and certification: Overview, science, and impact on policy, regulation, and practice · International Nursing Review · 2021 · 22 citations

Most recent work

• Sustaining Infection Prevention and Control Post-Accreditation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Global Longitudinal Outcomes · Community Medicine and Education Journal · 2026
• Unpacking hospital accreditation systems through a governmentality lens · Accounting Forum · 2026
• Sustaining quality accreditation in hospitals: a systematic review with narrative synthesis · BMC Health Services Research · 2026
• Global Lessons, Local Solutions: Building a Reporting Pathway for Australian Sonographers · Sonography · 2026
• AUDITORIA EM ONCOLOGIA COMO INSTRUMENTO ESTRATÉGICO DA MEDICINA BASEADA EM VALOR: CONTRIBUIÇÕES PARA A QUALIDADE, A SUSTENTABILIDADE E A MELHORIA ASSISTENCIAL · Revista Ibero-Americana de Humanidades, Ciências e Educação · 2026
• Internal Quality Inspection and Continuous Quality Improvement in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study · International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research · 2026
• A comprehensive mapping of NABH Non-Compliances in hospitals undergoing entry level and full accreditation: insights from selected hospitals in Ahmedabad · BMC Health Services Research · 2026
• Using tiered accreditation and decentralized governance to achieve population-based equity in pulmonary and critical care medicine in the Chinese mainland · Communications Medicine · 2026
• INSTITUTIONAL ISOMORPHISM IN GLOBAL MUSEUM QUALITY ASSURANCE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FIVE ACCREDITATION SYSTEMS · Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Research · 2026
• Communication in healthcare quality management frameworks: a comparative analysis of international quality systems · International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance · 2026

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