Author: Denise E. Smith, RN, MS, CLNC, HACP-CMS, Head of Consulting & Senior Consultant

What You Need to Know About Pet Therapy

Therapy animals provide immense benefits to patients and have been proven to reduce depression, anxiety, pain, and fatigue in patients with a variety of health conditions. However, is your Pet Therapy program following safe infection prevention protocol?

From Breast to Bottle – Let’s Keep That Breast Milk Safe

Introduction Breastfeeding, also called nursing, is the process of feeding human breast milk to a child, either directly from the breast or by expressing the milk from the breast and bottle-feeding it to the infant. The World Health Organization recommends that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby’s life and continue as often […]

Prepare Your Healthcare Laundry Department For Inspection

How often do we go to the linen closet and say to ourselves, “is this linen safe to put on my patient’s bed?” As a nurse for over 40 years, I do not think that I have ever asked myself that question. I was happy that the linen was there and that I could use […]

Behind the Scenes – Mock Survey

Do you ever wonder what a mock survey consultant does prior to visiting your organization? Have you been curious about the extent of preparation that occurs, how we are able to identify areas for improvement (or regulatory gaps) in a short period of time, and how it all comes together in a final report to enable effective resolution?

Is Glove Disinfection Acceptable and Safe?

Since COVID-19, the shortage of personal protective equipment has become an issue for many organizations throughout the country. Disposable gloves are being disinfected between tasks using alcohol-based hand sanitizer. It might sound like an acceptable practice under the circumstances, but did you ever think about what the alcohol does to the gloves that you are […]