Hospitals accreditation in Lebanon : the challenges and prospects of implementing the environmental policy -

Abstract

This study aims to assess the perception of stakeholders in hospitals with regards to the environmental standards in the Lebanese Accreditation manual and the impacts of their activities on the environment, investigate the challenges and incentives for implementing environmental standards and develop a set of recommendations that can enhance the implementation of these standards. Accordingly, an in-depth interview was conducted with stakeholders from 18 hospitals selected from all 6 Mohafazat and accounted for other criteria such as size and public vs private. Results were contextually and comprehensively analyzed, examined, and evaluated. Findings revealed that the majority of the stakeholders were unsatisfied with environmental standards because they were not clear, not enforceable, not applicable, and-or required improvement. The barriers to implementation are financial burden, employee resistance, relatively less qualification and awareness, and lack of support by the Ministry. Finally, possible suggested incentives for implementing environmental standards are financial support, training programs, rewarding system, and improving standards. Hence, the implementation of a national accreditation program has indirectly affected environmental performance based on the perception of this study’s participants. Accordingly, recommendations that can enhance the implementation of environmental standards as required by national laws and regulations are suggested.