An audit of the structures and processes of the Visceral Transplant Surgery Section of the Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital has once again demonstrated that the management meets the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standard.
Every company, every organisation and every location is involved in relationships with partners, suppliers, employees, authorities and, above all, patients. ISO 9001:2015 requires a medical centre to understand the expectations of these different stakeholders and to act accordingly. These different groups influence each other and it is important to recognise their often divergent interests and be aware of the tensions involved. However, it should be noted that ISO 9001:2015 does not require negotiating a compromise between all these stakeholders - this is a common misconception. Rather, it is about making conscious decisions regarding neglected interests.
In addition to the focus on different interests, the process-oriented approach is one of the cornerstones of ISO 9001:2015. The standard emphasises the importance of understanding and controlling interrelated processes as a system for the effectiveness and efficiency of an organisation in achieving its intended results.