Standards & Accreditation
This section contains information about national and international standards, accreditation and guidelines for practice. ASDIN makes available a balance of information consistent with our mission statement.
- Accreditation, Standards, Guidelines Defined
- NZ Government Standards
- Cochrane Collaboration Consumer Network
- International Health Websites
- Guidelines
Definitions
What is accreditation?
Health accreditation is a process by which an impartial organization will review a company’s/organsiation’s operations to ensure that the company/organisation is conducting business in a manner consistent with national standards. Accreditation process consists of a review of policies and procedures and an onsite visit to the applicant company/organization to determine that it is, in fact, operating according to its stated policies.
What are standards?
A committee of experts representing diverse interests in the health care community develop a set of standards: providers, health care organizations, insurers, and the public interest. When new standards are developed, experts from the particular area of health care delivery participate on the committee. Government always circulates draft standards for public comment so that anyone can have input in the standards-development process.
What are guidelines?
Guidelines are developed by Government agencies, Health organisations, Universities or committees who deal with processes that affect people or individuals with health issues or who deal with health problems. Guidelines usually provide consumers such as parents, guardians, practitioners, and advocates with a set of parameters (boundaries, limits or processes) under which they can better determine the threats and opportunities associated with theories and practices used in treatments or interventions.
NZ Government Standards
New
Zealand Health Standards Committee Health Informatics Subcommittee: Communications
Working Group
The role of the Working Group is to support the Health Standards Committee
and SC606 - Health Informatics Sub-Committee in the provision and promotion
of all required national health informatics standards and guidelines in
the area of the development of Communication standards used for the communication
of all Health information It will also support and provide input into
any healthcare informatics standards initiatives which may develop, and
also ensure appropriate New Zealand representation on relevant Joint Australia/New
Zealand Subcommittees and Working Groups.
Implementation
Plan - Autism Services Interdepartmental Working Group
This implementation plan has been developed by the Autism Services Interdepartmental
Working Group, and is based on work done on Autistic Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) in October 1998.
Mental
Health Commission
Their vision is to ensure that people with mental health illness live
in an environment which respects their rights, provides fair and equal
opportunities that they have access to a fully developed range of mental
health service which are provided by the right combination of people responding
appropriately to their needs in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Mental
Health Foundation of New Zealand
The comprehensive information contained in this site is important for
all New Zealanders regardless of sex, age, culture or background. Taking
care of one's own health is as important as looking after another's. The
MHF is guided by the 1986 Ottawa Charter and the Treaty of Waitangi, working
in partnership with other groups to achieve our vision of a mentally healthy
country.
Within the MHF website they also provide information on Autistic Spectrum Disorder
New
Zealand Health Technology Assessment Clearing House
To assist New Zealand health and disability services through the production
and dissemination of evidence-based information for decisions on health
policy and purchasing, service management, and clinical practice.
The
New Zealand Guidelines Group (NZGG)
The National Health Committee (NHC) established the New Zealand Guidelines
Group (NZGG) in 1996 as an informal network of expertise and information
on guideline development, implementation and evaluation. The primary purpose
in establishing (NZGG) was to train health and disability professionals
and consumers in the development and implementation of best practice guidelines.
The long-term aim is to help facilitate a culture change among all stakeholders
in health care and disability support to improve the quality, effectiveness
and equity of service provision. The (NZGG) has overseen the training
a range of health care professionals from the areas of medicine, psychiatry,
surgery, public health medicine, and general practice, as well as nursing
and other allied health professionals. There has been active Maori and
consumer involvement in the guidelines development and implementation
process. In July 1999, the NZGG became an incorporated society and is
now funded through a contract with the Health Funding Authority. The core
business will remain guidelines and the scope of activities will broaden
to include clinical indicators and other aspects of evidence-based practice.
NZGG Vision The New Zealand Guidelines Group leads a movement towards the delivery of high quality health and disability service throughout New Zealand through a change of culture based on evidence and effectiveness.
Guideline
Library
Evidence Based Guidelines (completed) for New Zealand Mental Health
Guideline Development in New Zealand
New Zealand Guidelines Group
This area provides general information about the New Zealand Guidelines Group, including objectives, activities, people and contact information.
Effective Practice Institute (EPI)
The EPI was established with a grant from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland to develop teaching programmes in evidence-based practice.
Cochrane Collaboration Consumer Network
Australasian Cochrane CentreCoordinating Australasia's involvement in the international Cochrane Collaboration The Australasian Cochrane Centre is part of the Monash Institute of Health Services Research, located at the Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Victoria. The Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing funds the Centre. It is one of a number of Cochrane Centres established world-wide to coordinate the activities of the Cochrane Collaboration. The role of the Australasian Cochrane Centre The Australasian Cochrane Centre was established with National Health and Medical Research Council funding at the Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide in early 1995. This funding was supplemented by the New Zealand Ministry of Health from 1996-2000. In March 1999, the Centre relocated to Melbourne to form part of the newly-established Monash Institute of Health Services Research. Core funding for the Centre continues to come from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.
Making
Sense of Research
As well as making these research results accessible to the general public,
the Cochrane Consumer Network is concerned that consumers get the most
out of all health care research. The aim is to assist people to:
Understand research jargon and styles;
Tell a good study from a bad one;
Find and make sense of health and medical research results.
International
Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA)
Healthcare
technology is defined as prevention and rehabilitation, vaccines,
pharmaceuticals, and devices, medical and surgical procedures, and the
systems within which health is protected and maintained.
Technology assessment in health care is a multidisciplinary field of policy analysis. It studies the medical, social, ethical, and economic implications of development, diffusion, and use of health technology.
International Health Websites
URAC
(also known
as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission URAC) is a non-profit
charitable organization founded in 1990 to establish standards for the managed
care industry. URAC’s broad-based membership includes representation
from all the constituencies affected by managed care – employers, consumers,
regulators, health care providers, and the workers’ compensation and
managed care industries. Member organizations of URAC participate in the
development of standards, and are eligible to sit on the Board of Directors.
Quality
Health Web Sites You Can Trust
The URAC Health Web Site Accreditation program empowers consumers and
business partners to identify health web sites that follow rigorous standards
for quality and accountability. For list of accredited Health Web Sites
in America.
Guidelines
Practice
Parameters
Practice Parameters:The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
has published 20 Practice Parameters. The Parameters are published as
Official Actions of the Academy in the Journal of the American Academy
of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Summaries of many of these parameters are available on this web site.
National
Guideline Clearinghouse: Brief Summary
This summary of the practice parameters for the assessment and treatment
of children, adolescents, and adults with autism and other pervasive developmental
disorders explains for readers the baseline from which these guidelines
were develop.It overviews the guidelines in an easy read for those who
are not health professionals or are new to guideline practice.
The published reference is the Journal of American Academy of Child Adolescent
Psychiatry 1999 Dec;38(12 Suppl):55S-76S.
Guidelines
for Theories and Practices (USA)
The following
Guidelines were developed to assist people with autism, parents/guardians,
practitioners, and advocates in evaluating theories and practices related
to autism. The Guidelines will provide such consumers with a set of parameters
under which they can better determine the threats and opportunities associated
with theories and practices. (This is published within the Autism Society
of America website.)
Best
Practices for Designing and Delivering Effective Programmes for Individuals
with ASD
(Within the Families for Early Autism Treatment site). This document was
assembled by various people in the State of California, including educators,
parents, and professionals. It is very good though a compromise,
and comprises many of the components needed to assemble good community
services for the treatment of Autism. This is recommended reading for
Parents, Educators, and Professionals. Information on how to order this
document is available in the Introduction.
How
to Determine If a Treatment Really Helped
Written
by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.Center for the Study of Autism, Salem, Oregon
There are many types of interventions available today for autistic individuals,
including nutritional, biomedical, educational, sensory, and behavioural.
When beginning a new intervention, it is important to be as objective
as possible to determine whether the treatment truly helped the person.
If the treatment is not helping, then it does not make sense to continue
it, especially if it involves a great deal of time, money, or effort.
The main purpose of the Autistic Association of New Zealand Inc. is to provide support, resources and information on autistic spectrum disorders to those with these conditions, their family/whanau, caregivers and professionals working with them. The Association's key activities are:
- Providing a quarterly newsletter
- Gathering and distribution of information
- Organisation and running of seminars and conferences
- Raising awareness of autistic spectrum disorders
- Liaison with other agencies on behalf of parents
The Association maintains contact with many associations around the world and constantly sources the latest material for our members.