A Systematic Review: What Impact Did the Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI) Program Have on Healthcare Outcomes in Tertiary and Secondary Hospitals in Saudi Arabia from 2014 to 2024?

Abstract

Background: Saudi healthcare has massively developed recently, spurred by immense investment and service user population changes. Saudi healthcare institution standardization by the “Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions” (CBAHI) enforces stringent accreditation specifications addressing various dimensions to improve service and care quality and patient and staff safety, but few studies have explored specific outcomes. Aim: this study aims to explore the full picture of which impact CBAHI-A has on multiple healthcare outcomes in the context of these healthcare institutions in Saudi Arabia from 2014 to 2024. Study Design: Systematic literature review with narrative synthesis. Setting: Secondary and tertiary Saudi hospitals. Methodology and Methods: A systematic review as per “2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)” guidelines, with a systematic literature search and analysis with analytical narrative synthesis. Results: Accreditation by CBAHI achieves specific enhancements in the quality and safety of care, as reflected in fewer errors in medication and improved infection guideline compliance. Nevertheless, mixed findings were reported for the rate of mortality and hospitalization duration, suggesting more modest net impacts on core indicators. Differing levels of enhancement were reported for service user satisfaction and resource deployment efficiency. Conclusion: CBAHI accreditation significantly enhances certain outcomes for care and safety quality in Saudi secondary and tertiary hospitals, but it does not produce substantive, provable breakthroughs in important clinical and organizational indicators. Ongoing monitoring and studies are needed, especially longitudinal ones over time, and studies of specific factors of Saudi contexts.