Kristen Beal

Kristen is a registered nurse with 20 years of healthcare experience, including the past 8 years specializing in infection prevention. She is passionate about patient and staff safety and is dedicated to instilling ownership and confidence in frontline teams through education, support and collaboration. Kristen is committed to building trusting, collaborative relationships between staff and Infection Prevention, fostering open communication and shared accountability. She believes sustainable improvement happens when people feel supported, valued and empowered to lead safety at the bedside.

Title: Sealing the Risk: Tissue Adhesive for CLABSI Prevention &

Paws for Prevention: Building Trust and Battling Burnout in Acute Care

Brief Description: Following a successful pilot, hospital-wide adoption of tissue adhesive for central line dressings led to major improvements, including fewer compromised dressings, a 57% reduction in CLABSI, and substantial cost savings. These results highlight tissue adhesive as a valuable, evidence‑based strategy for improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.

By integrating an on‑demand therapy dog into the acute care setting, this initiative not only helped alleviate staff stress and burnout but also transformed engagement between infection prevention and frontline staff. The shared experience created a more approachable, collaborative environment, illustrating the broader impact of therapy animals on relationship‑building and safety culture.