a comparative study on accreditation models in europe and the usa

introduction: the scientific, technological and economic development of a society is closely related to its public health. therefore; improvement of health service quality along with increasing the number of health facilities is one of the main concerns of health care authorities in developed countries. this study was designed to compare accreditation models of health care organizations in europe and the united states. methods: this was a comparative-review study in which a wide range of paper and electronic data sources related to different accreditation models in all european countries and the us were collected. the origins, underlying principles and the application of various accreditation models in health care were compared. results: our findings showed that four models of health care accreditation were applied in european countries. the iso and efqm models had industrial origins, and were more frequently used in technical fields such as laboratories and administrative departments of hospitals. other accreditation models, however, had health care origins and were used for the accreditation of all sections of hospitals as well as for specialized clinical groups. conclusion: one of the main challenges facing countries whishing to establish an accreditation system is to reach an agreement on the concept and characteristics of the accreditation model.