Qmentum International: how Accreditation Canada’s program works

Qmentum International is Accreditation Canada’s international accreditation program. It is the program 23 Georgian healthcare organizations have joined and under which 9 of them achieved Platinum accreditation. Its standards are developed by the Health Standards Organization (HSO).

What the program assesses

The standards cover the whole organization, from the board to the bedside:

• Governance and leadership: a culture of quality and safety, strategy, risk management and resources;
• Infection prevention and control: hand hygiene, sterilization and environmental cleaning;
• Medication management: from storage to administration, medication reconciliation and high-alert medications;
• Service excellence standards: for individual areas such as emergency care, inpatient services, surgery, laboratory and diagnostic imaging;
• People-centred care: involving patients and families, keeping them informed and protecting their rights.

Required Organizational Practices

A key part of the program is its Required Organizational Practices: evidence-based measures that reduce the main risks to patient safety. For example:

• identifying patients with at least two identifiers;
• medication reconciliation on admission and transfer;
• falls prevention, and reporting and analysing incidents;
• safe handover of information between staff;
• infection control measures and hand-hygiene monitoring.

Levels of accreditation

The nine accredited organizations in Georgia achieved Platinum in 2025. See the list

How the cycle works

1. Registration and planning: the contract, and deciding which standards and services apply.
2. Self-assessment: the organization compares its practice with the standards and uses staff and patient-safety culture surveys.
3. Improvement: closing gaps, implementing procedures and training staff.
4. Survey visit: certified surveyors assess practice on site and talk to staff and patients.
5. Decision and ongoing improvement: Accreditation Canada awards the level, and the organization keeps improving throughout the cycle.

Qmentum Global

In 2024 Accreditation Canada introduced Qmentum Global, with updated standards, self-assessment tools, attestations and short-notice on-site visits that strengthen an everyday culture of quality. The program follows a four-year cycle.

Official sources

• Qmentum International, Accreditation Canada
• Qmentum Global, Accreditation Canada
• Health Standards Organization (HSO)

Frequently asked questions