Introduction of Credentialing and Privileging Standards for the Surgical Staff

Abstract

Determining the competency of a practitioner to provide high-quality and safe patient care is one of the most crucial issues in a hospital. We have, therefore, established credentialing and privileging standards at our hospital. The categorization for the privileging was based on operative experience and specialty board requirements. The credentialing and privileging process for the surgical staff was based on general competencies, such as licensure, relevant training, and experience. We have also started to use look into operative and discharge notes to improve the quality and safety of patient care and to provide the necessary feedback for establishing the credentialing and privileging standards. We believe that the establishment of credentialing and privileging standards is useful for not only the provision of high-quality and safe patient care, but also to remove the distrust of the general public in medical practice.