Healthcare professionals play a major role in maintaining the health and well-being of communities by being on duty 24x7. Earlier, their selfless service and contribution went mostly unnoticed. It took a global pandemic for people to recognise the diligence of the complete healthcare fraternity. While healthcare organisations (HCOs) are serving the nation day and night amid the outbreak of COVID-19, the need for certain accreditations has risen exponentially for them.
Proper training, certifications and accreditations are necessary for this industry as it holds a direct and major responsibility towards the lives of people. That is why there is a constant need to upgrade and improve the quality of healthcare services in a world which is advancing rapidly. COVID-19 has further raised the demand to elevate the standard of service delivered. This is essential for not only the betterment of patients but also for the growth and safety of HCOs and its staff.
Why does qualified healthcare staff require further training?
Learning is a continuous process. Everyday new technology and lifestyle changes are coming up along with new challenges for this industry. There is always a scope of growth and improvement in almost every field, therefore, such training programmes and certifications are necessary to keep up with the modern requirements and enhance one’s professional skills. From doctors and nurses to quality managers of a hospital, everyone can join a relevant programme to unlock huge growth potential. This will also help them in improving the quality and safety of healthcare services they offer during the current global humanitarian crisis of coronavirus.
What kind of training and certifications programmes are available?
Short-term online and onsite training programmes are now available across the nation so that healthcare professionals can easily achieve related certification. Training programmes are available on various subject matters like Emergency Department Quality and Patient Safety, Cyber Security in Hospitals, Hospital Infection Control, Laboratory Quality Management System, and Quality Implementation in Hospitals. Programmes related to infection control and cyber-security have become all the more important amid COVID-19 pandemic. Special nursing training programmes are also available for the nursing staff of HCOs.
How to get a recognised certification?
Interested healthcare workers can enrol into recognised training programmes offered by CAHO (Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations). It is a not-for-profit organisation which offers training and certifications to doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators for continuous quality improvement. To achieve full accreditation standards, two levels of a programme - basic and advanced, must be completed by an individual. CAHO works in association with NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) and also supports healthcare organisations with no or entry-level accreditations to go towards the full accreditation standards.
The COVID-19 outbreak demands for an as high speed of quality improvement in the healthcare sector as that of its spread. Considering this, CAHO has conducted several webinars on topics like operating room challenges during pandemic and communication skills that doctors need during this time. Therefore, healthcare organisations and professionals should seek continuous training for better management and quality improvement.
