[Accreditation of hospital hygiene services by JCAHO].

For over 50 years, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has validated the quality of hospital establishments upon individual request. During such evaluations, the patient is a primary concern with respect to quality standards and issues. Inspection of establishments is conducted by healthcare professionals who compare the practices of a specific site against 489 standards that act as a system of reference and are published in the organization's accreditation manual. The area of hospital hygiene has six specific standards that are integrated in the mission to assist healthcare activities. The procedures for quality management and performance improvement play an essential role in obtaining accreditation.