AKUH Certified as Centre of Excellence For Management of Heart Attack
Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N) has for the second time been certified as a Centre of Excellence for the management of heart attacks by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the recognized global leader in health quality standards.
AKUH,N was the first hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve this certification when it was first certified in 2020 and remains the only Centre of Excellence in East Africa recognized as such. The second certification follows a Program audit conducted by the JCI in September 2023, as part of the 3 years’ review process.
In line with this certification, AKUH,N has adopted international standards that provide for standardization of care for patients with heart attacks.
“Heart attacks are an emergency and require timely treatment. The cause is usually a blocked artery. For the best chances of survival, the condition should be recognised quickly, and the vessel unblocked promptly by a team of specialists. Standardization of care ensures that every heart attack patient who comes to the hospital receives the same quality of care and on time, conforming to best practice,” added Dr Mohamed Jeilan, the hospital’s Director of Cardiac Services who is an interventional cardiologist.
“The standardized care is provided by a Heart Attack/Cardiologists team in a patient-centered setting by engaging patients and family members regularly for feedback that is used to improve the program for the benefit of our patients.”
The rigorous audit process examines key patient care processes and outcomes including physician practice and compliance with practice guidelines, medication management, safety of care, qualifications and competencies of program staff and physicians, multidisciplinary approach to patient care, patient/family involvement, timeliness of treatment and overall outcomes such as survival, among other standards.
“This certification is an external validation that we are providing the highest quality of patient care as benchmarked against international peer hospitals. It testifies to our commitment to provide quality patient care guided by patient safety standards and aimed at good health outcomes,” said Rashid Khalani, CEO AKUH,N.
Joint Commission Accreditation and Certification means an organization complies with the highest standards for safety and quality of care and is committed to continually improving patient care. The Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPC) Standards are intended to test specialty Clinical Care programs against the world’s most comprehensive standards.
This certification adds to a host of international accreditations and certifications at AKUH,N including:
· In 2013 the hospital became the first hospital in the region to receive the JCI hospital accreditation, an accreditation that is reassessed every 3 years.
· In 2018, the hospital’s laboratory was accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), a global recognition of the excellence of the hospital’s laboratory services.
· In 2021, the hospital was certified as a Centre of Excellence for the management of stroke by the JCI, becoming the first hospital in Africa to achieve this milestone.
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