After binging the latest season of The Great British Baking Show, it occurred to me that there are (or can be) various levels of precision that must manifest themselves in various creative endeavors—even those relating to compliance.

Urinary tract infections are one of the most common healthcare-associated infections. Urinary catheters are also one of the most common medical devices experienced by adult patients in hospitals and emergency rooms worldwide. A catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) occurs when germs (usually bacteria) enter the urinary tract through the urinary catheter and cause infection.

Since 2006, hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission have experienced unannounced surveys. Regardless of the accrediting agency, however, hospitals and healthcare organizations need to know whether they are in compliance with The Joint Commission’s standards and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoP). Continuous readiness and tools such as the tracer methodology introduced by The Joint Commission have proven useful in assessing both the patient care process and other supportive processes in a hospital to determine gaps in compliance, knowledge deficits, and exemplary practices.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) can serve as a solution for preventing illegal activities and mitigating security risks, according to officials at security company Telgian. Can it be applied to hospital safety and security? We caught up with Daniel Loo, CPP, PSS, regional practice leader of security for Telgian, for a Q&A on CPTED.

The laboratory is a source for several potential waste streams and in the eyes of regulatory agencies, managing those streams is the responsibility of the department. Consider regular (non-hazardous) waste, regulated medical waste (RMW), hazardous chemical waste, and radioactive waste; all need to be handled differently so that ultimate disposal occurs properly. This proper handling and disposal is a matter of safety during every phase of the laboratory waste process.