Background: Accreditation is one of increasingly employed method for promoting quality at the
primary health care units (PHC). It is a self-assessment and external peer reviewed process used by
healthcare organizations to assess their level of performance accurately in relation to the established
standards and to implement ways to improve the healthcare system continuously.
Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of accreditation on compliance with
information management system standards in El-Behera PHC units.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in primary health care facilities in El-Behera
Governorate. The study population included PHC units participating in accreditation and PHC units
not participating in accreditation selected via a two stage stratified random sampling technique. The
data were collected using a checklist developed in concordance with the Egyptian accreditation
standards for primary health care facilities 2005 for areas related to the information management
system. Accreditation standards were scored on a scale of 0-3 (score 3 given for fully met, 2 for
acceptable partially met, 1 for unacceptable partially met and 0 for not met). An average percentage
score was calculated (standards average percentage score = total facility score/ Target score X 100).
Results: The overall average score percentage for standard is significantly (p< 0.05) higher in
accredited units than non-accredited ones (64.5 ± 17.9 versus 39.3 ± 13.6 respectively). The lowest
mean score percent in accredited PHC units was demonstrated in almost two standards namely
accuracy of medical records and verification of implementation (57.8±9.9 and 55.6±12.5 respectively).
Conclusion: There was a significant impact of primary health units' accreditation on the health
information management system. However, those accredited units still not reach the desired level in
standards regarding accuracy of medical records and verification of implementation.