Principles-based accreditation: the way forward?

Abstract

Designers of accreditation processes must choose whether the process will be based on "principles" or "rules", how judgements are made, and the extent to which the process is intended to be formative (ie, beyond a summative accreditation decision). Principles-based quality improvement models should be considered as a basis for accreditation processes. Principles-based approaches are: applicable to the accreditation contexts of health care and health education; systemic in focus; consistent with "quality" being an integrated business activity rather than an "add-on"; likely to encourage self-directed improvement behaviour; suited to peer-review processes in professional settings; and typically well received by participants.