Association of European Cancer Institutes

Anadolu Medical Center has been accredited for the 2nd time by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). The accreditation demonstrates that the cancer care services provided at the hospital are delivered in line with international quality standards and supports the hospital’s commitment to continuously improving its quality processes.

The OECI accreditation covers various aspects of cancer care, ranging from cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment to supportive care, healthcare professional education, scientific research, and the management of cancer centers. At Anadolu Medical Center, adopting a principle of “continuous compliance” with these standards ensures that quality and patient safety are considered an integral part of daily healthcare delivery.

In addition to its OECI accreditation, Anadolu Medical Center has also been accredited for the 7th time by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). The ESMO accreditation focuses particularly on the quality of supportive and palliative care services provided to cancer patients.

What is OECI?

OECI (The Organisation of European Cancer Institutes) is an organization that promotes collaboration among cancer centers in Europe and neighboring regions. It aims to strengthen healthcare services provided to the community in the field of cancer and to advance education and research.

Through its collaborative approach, OECI supports its members in achieving excellence in healthcare services. This approach aims not only to reduce cancer incidence and mortality rates but also to ensure that all patients have equitable access to high-quality healthcare services.

What areas does OECI accreditation cover?

Focusing on all aspects of cancer care, OECI provides healthcare organizations with clearly defined standards designed to support the delivery of services based on scientific evidence and up-to-date knowledge.

These standards cover a wide range of processes, from cancer prevention in healthy individuals to supportive care for cancer patients. They also include standards related to healthcare professional education, cancer research, and the management of cancer centers.

Through this comprehensive approach, cancer care is addressed not only as a treatment process but also as part of the patient’s overall healthcare journey across its different stages.

Why is OECI accreditation important?

OECI accreditation represents an independent international assessment of whether healthcare services are delivered at a high level of quality and in accordance with current scientific knowledge and standards.

The accreditation process not only evaluates compliance with established standards in cancer care but also supports healthcare organizations in continuously improving their quality processes.

For Anadolu Medical Center, OECI accreditation is important in evaluating its approach to delivering cancer care in accordance with international standards. It also supports confidence among patients, employees, and other stakeholders and contributes to the hospital’s recognition in the field of international healthcare.

How does Anadolu Medical Center prepare for accreditation assessments?

The Quality and Patient Safety Department at Anadolu Medical Center adopts an approach aimed at maintaining continuous readiness for all accreditation assessments. At the core of this approach is the principle of “continuous compliance” with the relevant standards.

Ensuring that every employee performs their duties in accordance with applicable standards, procedures, instructions, and current scientific and professional knowledge supports continuous compliance with quality standards. As a result, quality standards are not limited to accreditation assessment periods but become an integral part of daily healthcare delivery.

As part of this approach, self-assessments against the relevant standards are routinely conducted at least once a year. A further self-assessment is carried out several months before accreditation assessments to review the standards once again. If new standards requiring compliance are identified, the necessary actions are taken and any gaps are addressed.

How does the OECI accreditation process work?

The OECI accreditation process begins with a comprehensive self-assessment. All information obtained through the self-assessment is entered into the OECI system.

Based on this information, an initial assessment is conducted by OECI assessors. During the process, additional information and data may be requested when necessary, and responses to these requests are prepared.

In the next stage, a team of OECI assessors visits the hospital. During the assessment, interviews are conducted primarily with healthcare professionals working in clinical areas, while hospital documentation and data relating to cancer patients are also reviewed.

After the assessment team leaves the hospital, action plans are requested regarding standards that require compliance or areas identified for improvement. These action plans are prepared by multidisciplinary teams.

Once the action plans have been reviewed and approved, the accreditation process is completed.

At Anadolu Medical Center, the approval of the self-assessment phase of the OECI accreditation process took approximately one year, while the review and approval of the action plans prepared following the assessment took approximately another year. The entire process was therefore completed in approximately two years.

Contribution of accreditation to healthcare services

The principle of “continuous compliance” with quality standards supports the sustainable improvement of the quality of healthcare services.

At Anadolu Medical Center, this approach contributes to delivering healthcare services to patients and the community in accordance with quality standards. In an environment where changing economic and social conditions can make the delivery of high-quality healthcare more challenging, efforts to maintain and improve quality standards continue.

Within this framework, accreditations are viewed not simply as assessments conducted at specific intervals, but as part of a quality management approach that enables healthcare services to be continuously reviewed and improved.

OECI and ESMO Accreditations: A Comprehensive Approach to Quality

Anadolu Medical Center’s 2nd OECI accreditation, together with its 7th accreditation by ESMO, demonstrates its continued commitment to quality standards across different areas of cancer care.

The ESMO accreditation focuses particularly on the quality of supportive and palliative care provided to cancer patients. In this context, it is important for hospitals to focus not only on cancer treatment but also on symptom management, including pain, psychosocial support, and maintaining quality of life.

This approach supports the comprehensive management of cancer patients’ supportive care needs alongside their treatment journey.

What initiatives are being carried out for the future?

Accreditation systems, including OECI and ESMO, encourage healthcare organizations to remain aligned with up-to-date scientific knowledge for the benefit of patients and society. As science and technology continue to evolve, accreditation standards are also regularly updated and renewed.

At Anadolu Medical Center, efforts are being carried out across various areas to ensure compliance with updated standards.

These initiatives include sustainability efforts aimed at reducing the healthcare sector’s environmental impact, improvements in data management related to cancer patients, and efforts to comply with standards concerning the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

In addition, clinical risk management processes are continuously reviewed and updated.

Receiving OECI accreditation for the 2nd time stands as an important indicator of Anadolu Medical Center’s continued commitment to maintaining compliance with international quality standards in cancer care and continuously improving the quality of healthcare services.