Readiness of Teaching Hospitals to Attract Medical Tourists Based On Organization-Oriented Standards of Joint Commission International (JCI): a case study

Background & Objectives: The ability to attract tourists in international health markets depends on the quality standards. The aim of this study was to determine the state of educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences based on organization-oriented standards of joint commission international. Methods: This Descriptive study was performed in four selected teaching hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. Data collection was carried out using the questionnaires of the organization-oriented standards of joint commission international including 76 questions in 6 areas of improving quality and patient safety, infection prevention and control, leadership and guidance, safety and facility management, training and staff competence and information and communication management. Descriptive statistics were used as mean and percentage. Data were entered into SPSS20 software. Results: The compliance rate of organization-oriented standards in the hospitals was 81.2% that indicated the relative readiness with regard to the standards of joint commission international in attracting medical tourists. The highest compliance rate of standards was related to safety and facility management (84.4%) and the lowest compliance rate was related to quality improvement and patient safety (75.2 %). Conclusion: Hospitals should pay more attention to the quality improvement and patient safety in order to meet international standards and obtain an international accreditation certificate, and they are supposed to improve standards in this area through corrective actions. Keywords: Medical Tourism, Joint Commission International, Quality Assurance, Organization-Oriented Standards, Teaching Hospital Citation: Zarei E, Ahmadi Kashkoli S, Khezeli MJ, Fazli Ouchhesar F, Azizi A, Shamsadini Lori A. Readiness of Teaching Hospitals to Attract Medical Tourists Based On Organization-Oriented Standards of Joint Commission International (JCI): a case study. Journal of Health Based Research 2017; 3(3): 253-265.