Your center can start the accreditation process by filling out the registration form on the Applications page. After registration, your center will receive a link to a digital questionnaire to determine whether your center meets the criteria for visitation. A visitation will be scheduled if your center appears to provide care adhering to the latest DMD care considerations and/or consensus guidelines, and can provide a letter of support from a national Duchenne patient organization.

The length of the accreditation procedure is dependent on multiple factors. Below we describe the various steps:

Step 1
Within a few days after registration, your center will receive a link to a digital questionnaire. We will contact you soon after we have reviewed the results of the questionnaire.

Step 2
If your center appears to be providing most care according to the latest DMD care considerations and/or consensus guidelines, we will contact you to schedule a visitation with a group of experienced professionals and a patient representative. During the visitation we will conduct semi-structured interviews with clinicians, allied health therapists, and patients/families. This will take one to two days for the ADC Program Team (approximately 30-45 minutes per person for your team members), since we aim to speak to each professional personally.

Step 3
The ADC Program Team will summarize and review the semi-structured interviews and will provide written feedback. If there are any doubts, the ADC Advisory Board will be asked for feedback. Your center will receive a review report within two months of the visitation. Centers will be asked for clarification if  needed (written or via an online meeting).

Step 4
If your center meets the criteria, your center can become an Accredited Duchenne Center. Centers that do not yet meet all criteria for accreditation will be advised to make some minor changes in health care and can subsequently become an Accredited Duchenne Center.

There are no costs associated with applying for accreditation for your center. The ADC program is initiated and financed by the World Duchenne Organization (WDO). The ADC Program Team will ask for some free time from your team members for the semi-structured interviews (approximately 30-45 minutes per person).

Please contact the ADC Program Team if you have any complaints or questions about criteria for accreditation. Accreditation criteria are based on the latest care considerations, consensus guidelines and/or expert opinions.

ADC questionnaires and semi-structured interviews will be in English. Questionnaires for DMD patients and families will be provided in your native language. Someone from the national Duchenne patient organization with good command of both your native language and English language is needed for the semi-structured interviews with patients and their families.

We would like to ask you to contact the ADC Program Team if there are any significant changes such as changes in your job title or composition of your multidisciplinary team.

Centers providing most (but not yet all) care according to the latest care considerations and/or consensus guidelines will receive advice to optimize care. If minor changes in health care are made, centers can subsequently become an Accredited Duchenne Center. If a center receives a ‘major revision’ decision, a center will not become an Accredited Duchenne Center in the short term. Centers receiving a ‘major revision’ decision will receive advice to improve care. Centers may re-apply for accreditation after making significant changes in health care.

Accredited Duchenne Centers will maintain their accreditation for five years (unless major changes in health care organization and/or the care provided are made). After five years, an online re-accreditation procedure will be scheduled. If needed, there will be another visitation.

You can find the list of Accredited Duchenne Centers here.

Accredited Duchenne Centers will be announced on the (international) ADC website. Furthermore, you can announce your accreditation on the website of your center and social media. Your national Duchenne patient organization may also promote your accreditation on their website and/or social media. Accredited Duchenne Centers will receive a banner.

Whether accreditation will cover the whole hospital, or just a center within the hospital, will depend on the organization of health care at the applying center.

ADC is a worldwide program x some accreditations are only for a particular region.

ADC accreditation is granted based on pre-visitation questionnaires, questionnaires from patients, recommendation from a patient organization and based on a life visit of the center (versus some accreditations are granted only based on paper documentation).

ADC’s focus is on one disease so the committee can provide deeper and more specific feedback and recommendations for Duchenne care.

The number of patients treated should be in relation to the care region for accreditation. The exact number may differ per region and/or country.

The ADC Program handles criteria for accreditation that are based on the latest care considerations, consensus guidelines and/or expert opinions. Screening criteria are published on the ADC website. Criteria have been developed together with the ADC Advisory Board.

Multidisciplinary care for DMD patients may be provided by one center, or can be shared with other locations. The coordinating center is the applying center.

Yes. Centers can apply for accreditation for pediatric and/or adult DMD care. Criteria for accreditation differs for children and adults and, therefore, centers apply separately for pediatric and adult accreditation.