FRANKFORT, Ill. — The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) recently awarded its AORN Seal of Recognition to the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) standards document covering the complete textile processing cycle for use in healthcare facilities, the association reports.
The recognition confirms that HLAC’s Accreditation Standards for Processing Reusable Textiles for Use in Healthcare Facilities 2011 Edition has undergone “thorough review” by AORN and meets the guidelines of the AORN Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices, according to Lisa Spruce, AORN’s director of Evidence-Based Perioperative Practice.
While not an endorsement, the Seal of Recognition is confirmation that HLAC’s accreditation standards as presented in the document have met AORN standards of excellence in safe patient care, the association says.
HLAC adds that its accreditation standards are established as the “minimum acceptable practice” for the preparation of hygienically clean, reusable healthcare textiles for patient care, used by accredited laundry facilities processing reusable healthcare textiles.
“The AORN Seal of Recognition helps to reinforce the credibility and quality of our standards,” says Gregory Gicewicz, HLAC president. “For current HLAC-accredited customers, this seal provides them with instant peace of mind that they’ve aligned themselves with an organization that has met AORN’s stringent standards for excellence in safe patient care. This is a message worth communicating at many levels—to hospital administrators, infection preventionists, nurses, environmental services professionals and, of course, to patients and their families.”
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