Factors Affecting the Implementation of Joint Commission International Standards in United Arab Emirates Hospitals

The implementation of quality management systems (QMSs) is a world-wide phenomenon, particularly in organisations in developing countries. which have used different QMSs to improve the quality of their goods and services. loint Commission International (lCI) is an international body issuing healthcare standards following the principles of Total Quality Management to improve quality and patient safety. The influence of the trend towards implementing QMSs by adopting an international framework has reached the Middle East through the continuous efforts of healthcare organisations to achieve international accreditation using lCI standards. The public sector hospitals are the leading hospitals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in achieving accreditation and meeting lCI standards. Indeed. many hospitals in the Middle East in general and in the UAE in particular are in the process of achieving lei accreditation. This research examines how various factors affect the processes of implementing lCI standards in UAE hospitals. The research is qualitative in nature, employing a case study approach and using semistructured interviews as the main data collection tool within two hospitals in the Emirate of Dubai. Several other tools are used in order to achieve triangulation and to deepen the understanding of the factors identified. Contributions to knowledge are made by the research, which represents the first attempt to investigate empirically the processes of implementing lCI standards in UAE hospitals. The original contribution of the research is in providing an in-depth understanding of the factors affecting this process. These factors are grouped into four main categories: organisational factors, human resource issues, cultural issues and technical factors. A unique contribution of the study is the identification of several ne\\ factors within the cultural context that could affect the implementation of the lCI