What Organizations Find Most Valuable about the Accreditation Process

Accredited organizations consistently cite two key benefits of undergoing the accreditation process:

1. Validation of their existing efforts
2. Identification of ways to further strengthen their human research protection programs (HRPPs).   

In keeping with its commitment to quality improvement, AAHRPP routinely solicits feedback on site visits and the accreditation process. Organizations that complete the process are asked 11 questions, including what they found most valuable. By far the most common response is that accreditation lends credence to their efforts and verifies that they are doing the right thing.

“We got confirmation that what we are doing is good, correct, and in line with the regulations,” says William Schmechel, M.A., Director of Research at the University of California, Riverside. “We were told that all of our people are engaged and committed to the HRPP. Hearing that makes all of them want to continue that commitment.”

Organizations also say they appreciate the assessment of their strengths and weaknesses and AAHRPP’s recommendations on ways to improve policies and practices. Instead of resenting AAHRPP’s findings, organizations welcome the opportunities for improvement. In fact, organizations often use AAHRPP’s findings to leverage support for changes and to allocate resources more effectively.

One example is Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. According to Richard Mirabelli, M.P.H., C.I.M., Southeast’s Administrative Officer for Research, information gleaned during accreditation “allowed us to focus our resources and education where they were needed.”