What is the Full Form of NABH in medicine? Definition, Importance and Accreditation Process

During your search for the right healthcare services or during your visits to various hospitals in India, you may have come across the term NABH. There are many hospitals in India claiming to be NABH accredited, but very few people know what NABH is.

For patients, if you know a hospital is NABH accredited,d you can be assured that they follow standard procedures and will help keep you safe and provide quality care. For the healthcare personnel, it serves as a yardstick for improvement and assists in infrastructure development.

In this article, we will explain the full form of NABH in medicine, its significance, benefits, standards and the process of accreditation in simple terms.

What is the Full Form of NABH?

NABH is the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers.

As a constituent board of the Quality Council of India (QCI), NABH has the responsibility to create and manage accreditation programs for hospitals and other related healthcare services.

The major focus of NABH is to improve the standards of services and facilities provided by healthcare services and ensure the safety of patients.

NABH frames standards that help hospitals formulate standard protocols for various aspects of patient care and safety, such as prevention and control of infections, medications and other safety and administrative services.

For more information, read What NABH Accreditation is?.

What is NABH Accreditation?

NABH accreditation is provided to a healthcare service provider when they meet the required standards set by NABH.

The accreditation process involves assessment of the hospital’s policies and procedures, physical inspection of the hospital, training and competency of the staff and other service activities.

In the end, an assessment is done by NABH-trained assessors.

A hospital has to show that it works as per the mandated standards for its routine functions.

Accreditation involves hospitals implementing processes and keeping records to ensure that they are continually improving.

This is aimed at ensuring that they provide good quality, safe care.

Why is NABH important in the medical industry?

NABH, as an accreditation body, aims to help improve quality and safety for patients. They provide standards for hospitals to check the quality of different services provided to patients.NABH also provides resources to support the development and improvement of healthcare services in hospitals.

NABH standards cover the following:

• Safety of patients
• Quality of care
• Effectiveness of services
• Timely delivery of services
• Integrity of the organization
• Continual improvement
• Supports infection prevention and control programs

4. Encourages proper documentation

Medical records aid in the treatment of patients and provide continuity of care. NABH-accredited hospitals are required to maintain proper documentation on patient assessment, treatment, discharge and other actions.

Proper documentation helps in improving interaction between health staff.

5. Encourages continuous improvements

With NABH accreditation, hospitals ensure that they regularly review their activities.

Tools such as internal audits, quality management reviews and incident reports can be used to improve their performance.

This in turn helps them improve the services they provide.

What Are the NABH Standards for Hospitals?

NABH has developed a set of standards to accredit hospitals for the management activities and other areas of services provided to patients.

The NABH hospital accreditation standards comprise ten chapters.

Of the ten chapters, eight are patient-centered, and the remaining two are organization-centered.

Patient-Centered NABH Chapters

• AAC: Access, assessment and continuity of care (of patients): Covers the entire cycle of patient registration to assessment, admission, treatment, coordination, referral and discharge.
• COP: Care of Patients: Focuses on the clinical aspects of patient care.
• MOM: Management of Medicine: Concerns the prescribing, storage and administration of medication.
• PRE: Patient Rights and Education: Addresses the rights of patients and the process of obtaining their consent.
• IPC: Infection Prevention and Control: Addresses prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections.

Organization-Centered NABH Chapters

• PSQ- Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
• ROM- Responsibilities of Management
• FMS- Facility Management and Safety: This chapter includes safety of the building, equipment, utilities and preparedness for handling emergencies.
• HRM- Human Resource Management: This chapter includes the skills, training and deployment of staff.
• IMS- Handling patient records, information management and maintaining confidentiality of data.

Each chapter outlines what needs to be done by the hospital to meet the requirements of the accreditation programme according to the services it provides.

For detailed explanation, see Complete Guide to NABH Chapters and Guidelines for Hospitals.

See official documentation for NABH Hospital Accreditation Programme.

What are the benefits of NABH accreditation?

Many benefits can be gained by patients, healthcare professionals and hospital management through a NABH-accredited hospital.

Benefits for Patients

Patients will benefit from hospitals that are dedicated to implementing structured processes to improve quality and safety.

These may include patient identification and informed consent practices, as well as procedures for the control of infection and treatment.

Having NABH accreditation allows patients to make better and more informed decisions regarding their choice of healthcare provider.

It is important to understand that NABH accreditation does not guarantee a desired treatment outcome.

Benefits for Hospitals

There are several positive benefits of NABH accreditation for hospital management, including:

• Better patient safety practices
• Improved documentation and record management
• Clarified responsibilities of staff
• Routine quality monitoring
• Improved infection control practices
• Management accountability
• Greater assurance and credibility among patients and healthcare partners

Accreditation may help hospitals meet requirements for participation in certain healthcare programs and institutional arrangements.

Benefits for Healthcare Professionals

Doctors, nurses and allied staff benefit from clearly defined and structured practices and systems.

Through training and competency assessments, staff become aware of quality and safety requirements.

How to Get NABH Accreditation in India?

Hospitals wishing to acquire NABH accreditation must undergo the prescribed accreditation process.

Exact requirements vary depending on the type and size of the health care facility, and the program selected.

Step 1: Become Familiar with Applicable NABH Standards

The first step is to identify the NABH accreditation program applicable to the hospital.

It is the responsibility of the management and all staff to be familiar with the standards applicable to the services rendered by them.

STEP 2: Evaluation of present status (Gap Analysis)

It helps in identifying the gaps between the present hospital process/procedures and the NABH standards.

Analysis of Hospitals’ Infrastructure, Process/Procedures related to Patient Care, Manpower, Safety & security, and Documentation.

Step 3: Develop Documentation

Hospitals are required to develop and implement several policies and procedures for various services, including patient care, infection control, and management of pharmaceutical and other products.

Other documents may include staffing policies and records, and emergency operational plans.

Implementation of these policies and procedures is necessary for accreditation. Staff training in these areas, patient safety and other process and outcome monitoring are essential.

Step 4: Submit Application

The application is available on the NABH website. It is necessary to review the required standards and complete the readiness period prior to submitting the application.

The application includes the required fee nd organizational information supporting the documents.

Step 5: Complete the On-site Assessment

NABH reviews the information submitted by the hospital and schedules the assessment.

During the assessment, the evaluators review the hospital’s compliance with the required standards and determine if there are any nonconformities.

If nonconformities are identified, the hospital is required to take actions to address the nonconformities and submit evidence to the evaluators.

Step 7- Obtain Accreditation

Once the assessment and decision-making process is completed by NABH, the hospital can be granted accreditation.

Until accreditation is obtained, the hospital will need to comply with the standards and will have regular surveillance visits.

Difference between NABH and NABL

Both NABH and NABL are sub-boards of the Quality Council of India (QCI). However, they have different scopes.

They have similar processes, methods and principles; however, their scope differs.

NABH accreditation is commonly associated with hospitals to improve their healthcare services, while NABL accreditation is typically related with medical laboratories to meet the requirements of medical tests.

Both accreditation processes are equally important and should not be confused.

How Qualityveda Helps with NABH Accreditation

Qualityveda helps hospitals and other healthcare organizations understand and implement various QMS and EMS requirements.

Preparing for NABH accreditation requires a range of documentation, staff training, internal audits and monitoring of hospital activities.

We support the process of NABH accreditation by performing the following:

Gap Analysis: Review the hospital’s existing practices for conformity with the applicable requirements of NABH.

Obtaining an accreditation doesn’t just involve filling out some paperwork – hospitals need to implement these systems, document and continuously improve their performance.

The aim of this is to provide high-quality, safe and patient-focused services.

Why Is NABH Important In The Medical Field?

NABH are an accreditation body that focuses on improving the quality and patient safety of healthcare services. They provide hospitals with standards that they can use to measure how high-quality the different services offered to patients are.

Assessment Preparation: Aiding hospitals in preparing for NABH assessment activities.

We aim to assist healthcare organizations in developing operational quality systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the full form of NABH in Medical?

NABH = National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers.

Q2. What Is the Main Purpose of NABH?

To develop and sustain quality and safety in healthcare services and enhance the patient’s experience and outcomes.

Q3. Is NABH Accreditation Mandatory for All Hospitals?

NABH accreditation is generally voluntary. However, certain healthcare schemes, contracts or empanelment programs may require specific accreditation or certification.

Q4. How Many Chapters Are There in NABH Hospital Standards?

The NABH Hospital Accreditation Standards consist of ten main chapters pertaining to patient care and safety, and quality and management of the hospital.

Q5. What Is the Difference between NABH and NABL?

NABL is concerned with the accreditation of laboratories, and NABH is concerned with the accreditation of healthcare organizations.

Q6. Can Small Hospitals Apply for NABH Accreditation?

Yes, NABH accreditation and certification programs are available for a variety of types, sizes and complexity of healthcare organizations, and hospitals need to choose the appropriate one based on their eligibility and services offered.

Q7. Does NABH Accreditation Assure Better Treatment?

NABH accreditation indicates that a healthcare organization has satisfied certain quality and safety standards. It, however, does not guarantee better treatment outcomes.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know the NABH full form in medicine, you may have a better appreciation for what healthcare accreditation means.

In medicine, NABH is the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers. Their standards allow hospitals to build systems and a culture of safe patient care, improve infection control and maintain documentation.

For a healthcare organization, NABH accreditation is an opportunity to build systems and a culture that helps them improve the safety and security of patient care and services on a continuous basis.

At Qualityveda, we provide NABH accreditation documentation, training, and internal audits.

Need Help with NABH Accreditation?

If your hospital needs help with NABH accreditation, Qualityveda can help you understand and meet the requirements and quality management systems.

Call: 8882509194

Website: www.qualityveda.co