Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS)
In recent years, the growth of
clinical hyperbaric medicine has been dramatic. In the late 1970's there were
fewer than 30 facilities providing this type of therapy.
Today, there are over 500. Most of the facilities in operation today are hospital-based. In order for hyperbaric patients to be assured that the highest quality medical care is available to them, the UHMS' Executive Committee, at its November 2000 meeting, overwhelmingly supported establishing a clinical hyperbaric medicine facility accreditation program. The program is voluntary on the part of the facility and will provide survey services to assess a variety of patient care and safety related issues. When invited to perform a survey, the UHMS sends a team of experts and surveys staffing and training, the installation in general, operation and maintenance equipment, facility and patient safety, and standards of care.