Unannounced versus announced hospital surveys: a nationwide cluster-randomized controlled trial.
Hospital accreditation surveys are critical to identifying and ameliorating safety risks. This trial in Denmark randomized hospitals to receive either announced or unannounced hospital accreditation surveys. Investigators found no differences in adherence to performance indicators among hospitals who received unannounced compared to planned survey visits. They conclude that unannounced visits are no more likely to detect quality concerns.