About HSO Standards

HSO standards are the foundation on which leading-edge accreditation programs and evidence-informed public policy are built. Standards create a strong people-centred health care system that interest holders can rely on to enable people around the world to continuously improve quality of care.

HSO standards are formatted using the following structure:

• Section title. A section of the standard that relates to a specific topic.
• Clause. A thematic statement that introduces a set of criteria.
• Criteria. Requirements informed by evidence that describe what is needed by people to achieve a particular activity. Each criterion outlines the intent, action, and accountability.
• Guidelines. Additional information and evidence to support the implementation of each criterion.

HSO standards integrate gender responsiveness though three key mechanisms:

• Diverse representation. The Technical Committee for each standard includes a diverse range of genders and professional backgrounds. This composition supports the inclusion of lived experiences and clinical perspectives on gendered differences in care delivery that are central to the development process.
• Evidence-informed research. HSO Standards draw on research that explores gender-based differences in health issues and care delivery. This includes examining variations in prevalence, symptom expression, access to and experiences of care, treatment, outcomes and service standards.
• Inclusive language. HSO standards use inclusive gender-responsive language that respects diverse gender identities and reflects both physical and physiological as well as social and cultural dimensions of gender.

Refer to Annex A for additional equity-based principles integrated throughout all HSO standards.

About This Standard

HSO 11004:2026 (E) Inpatient Services is a new edition of the HSO 11004:2018 (E) Inpatient Services standard. The goal of this standard is to support the delivery of high-quality, safe inpatient services that meet the needs of diverse client populations. The target audiences for this standard include health systems leaders and policymakers, organizational leaders, and their teams as well as individual clients and their care partners.

This standard is evidence-informed, based on findings from the literature, clinical expertise, and those with lived experiences.

The content of this standard is structured into the following sections:

1. Service Design
2. Service Planning and Coordination
3. Workforce
4.  Care Delivery
5. Comprehensive Assessment
6. Care Planning
7. Care Pathways
8. Continuous Quality Improvement
   

This standard provides guidance on:

• providing evidence-informed, people-centred care that values compassion, dignity, trust, and autonomy.
• working in a team-based way to deliver culturally sensitive and trauma-informed care to meet clients’ goals, abilities, and preferences.
• maintaining a healthy and competent health services workforce; and
• adhering to practices and a culture that is outcome-focused and committed to continuous learning and quality improvement. 
  

In addition to the above, the standard also provides:

• external assessment bodies with evidence-informed content that can be used in assessment programs; and
• decision makers with a blueprint to guide policy development for delivering safe, quality care, and requirements to support the delivery of high-quality, people-centred care, and to maintain a healthy and competent Health Services workforce.
  

The published evidence used to inform this standard can be found in the bibliography.

This standard is intended to be used as part of a conformity assessment. This standard will undergo periodic maintenance. HSO will review and publish this standard on a schedule not to exceed five years from the date of publication.

Scope

Purpose

This standard supports health and social service organizations that provide care to clients admitted to inpatient settings as part of an integrated system of care. For the purposes of this standard, an inpatient is any client for whom a licensed provider has issued a formal admission order and who has been registered and assigned to an acute care team, with the expectation of staying overnight (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2016a, 2025b; Valaitis, 2023). Admission is for the short-term treatment of injury or illness that requires hospital-based care (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2016a, 2025b; Valaitis, 2023).

The standard outlines hospital-wide practices to promote quality and safety in inpatient care for people of all ages. It applies to settings where clients are formally admitted and monitored for short-term treatment of injury or illness, including care delivered in unconventional care spaces or to clients receiving alternative levels of care. It does not apply to services providing emergent or urgent care, outpatient care, complex continuing care, or other specialized care addressed in separate standards, such as perioperative, rehabilitation, obstetrics, oncology, or palliative care.

This standard does not prescribe clinical practice guidelines or technical guidelines. Rather it seeks to embed people-centred care principles into inpatient services and promote the translation of evidence into action by encouraging continuous learning opportunities for healthcare professionals. This standard upholds a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and cultural safety, coordinated care and integrated services, and a quality improvement and outcomes-focused culture.

Applicability

This standard applies to all health and social services organizations with a role in the provision of inpatient services.

The defined population for this standard is all ages.