Failure to Follow Hand Hygiene and Food Reheating Protocols During Meal Preparation
Penalty
Summary
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) failed to follow proper hand hygiene and food handling protocols when preparing a meal for a medically compromised resident. The CNA did not wash her hands before entering the kitchen or before handling the resident's meal tray. She removed hard-boiled eggs from the tray with her bare hands and used her hands to check the temperature of the food after partial heating in the microwave. The CNA did not use the thermometer provided to ensure the food was heated to the required 165 degrees Fahrenheit, instead relying on touch and resident preference to determine if the food was warm enough. Interviews with facility staff, including the Dietary Services Supervisor, Licensed Vocational Nurse, and Registered Dietitian, confirmed that the established procedure requires food to be reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and that handwashing is mandatory before handling food or clean utensils. Review of the facility's Food and Nutrition Services Standard Operating Procedure corroborated these requirements. The failure to adhere to these protocols placed the resident at risk for food-borne illness.