Clarifying the concept of external evaluation

External evaluation is a systematic approach for improving quality and safety in healthcare systems. It is based on the principle of evaluating performance against a defined set of standards, using external evaluators. 

ISQua and the ISQua External Evaluation Association (ISQua EEA) have promoted external evaluation for just over 20 years, by setting standards for best practice for external evaluation organisations, their surveyor training programmes and their standards, and by accrediting them against these standards. As of January 2021, 68 organisations have one or more currently valid ISQua EEA accreditations.

External evaluation evolved and diversified over the years to an overarching term that includes and encompasses several forms and types such as accreditation, certification, regulation and licensing. Clarifying our understanding of the concept is a necessary prerequisite for moving ahead; Why apply for external evaluation? How does it work? And what are the success factors and challenges? 

Members of the ISQua External Evaluation Association (ISQua EEA) Accreditation Council,  Ellen Joan van Vliet, Jacqui Stewart and Carsten Engel, have brought these ideas together to develop a White Paper to provide a definitive guide on how external evaluation works, its purpose, its constituent elements, how it operates as an intervention and what is likely to happen as it changes the way it contributes over time. 

This White Paper will be of interest to those interested in ensuring high-quality services in healthcare and the role that an external assessment of those services can play in the ongoing improvement of care to patients.