Interprofessional education-relevant accreditation standards in Canada: a comparative document analysis

According to Statistics Canada, “health professionals” are those who “are primarily concerned with diagnosing and treating health problems in humans and animals and with providing related services” ([6], p. 15). Hence, any profession that specializes in physical health, mental health/social services, dental health, or ocular health can be classified as a health profession.

“Accreditation” and “regulation” within the context of education are not the same. The WHO defines “accreditation” as the “formal process by which a recognized body … assesses and recognizes that a health care organization meets applicable pre-determined and published standards. Accreditation standards are usually regarded as optimal and achievable and are designed to encourage continuous improvement efforts within accredited organizations” ([12], p. 1). Whereas the WHO defines “regulation” as the “imposition of external constraints upon the behaviour of an individual or an organization to force a change from preferred or spontaneous behaviour” ([12], p. 14). In other words, the regulation of a health profession typically involves regulatory mandates issued by a regulatory authority (oftentimes, a professional body or government entity) to maintain high standards of practice for the profession. Non-compliance of a regulatory mandate may lead to administrative or penal consequences, as the objective of regulation is the control of unwanted behaviours, contrary to accreditation, which is the promotion of best practices [18].