The initial assessment of Joint Commission International (JCI) for accrediting healthcare institutions revealed excellent progress of Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Center SQCCCRC in its preparation to achieve the accreditation. 

Recently JCI team conducted an official visit to SQCCCRC to survey its readiness for the mock survey which the centre will go through it in January 2023. “During the assessment the JCI consultants visited all the units in the Center and assessed all the patient flow and process in order to identify any areas for improvement.  Where the initial assessment revealed excellent progress and that the center is in the right direction to achieve the accreditation,” Dr Khalid Al Bimani the Head of Quality and Accreditation said. 

He added: “Before initial assessment visit, in May 2022, the JCI team conducted a series of educational and training for all staff members in the areas of quality and the standards along with hand on training on tracer activities to trace patient care. “The SQCCCRC next step with JCI is to go through the mock survey in January 2023 which would be the last step in preparation for final accreditation survey hopefully in June 2023.  

Aligning the SQCCCRC’s vision to be a world leading and reliable cancer medical center in the field of research, academics and patient care, the center made a strategic collaboration with Joint Commission International (JCI) to achieve the accreditation. Al Bimani pointed out, “During this journey, we have started our JCI collaboration by evaluating the design of the center in 2019 followed by establishment of standards of practice, policies and procedures to guide the working process in the center.  After that, the JCI conducted a preoccupancy evaluation in 2021 aimed to make sure that the building and the process were appropriate and safe for patient care.“ 

The JCI is a prestigious organization accrediting healthcare institutions through rigorous compliance with international evidence-based standards. It provides the roadmap to building the essential processes to achieve performance excellence and quality care.  

These standards include patient-Centered Standards which aimed to ensure the patient’s safety and the effective patient and family education, and high-quality patient care, health Care Organization Management Standards which illustrate effective leadership, and proper structure and design of work environment considering the effective management of information, infection control, and facility management, and staff development and education. In addition to Academic and Research Standards which illustrate the proper integrating education of medical students and trainees into a hospital’s operations.