Failure to Follow Infection Control Practices During Skin Treatment and Blood Glucose Monitoring
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a nurse failed to follow proper infection control practices during a skin treatment for a resident. The nurse removed a dressing from the resident's inner left gluteal cleft, changed gloves, and applied wound gel and a new dressing. However, the nurse did not perform hand hygiene after removing the old dressing and after removing gloves, as confirmed during an interview. The nurse also assisted with repositioning the resident and applied skin prep to other areas without appropriate hand hygiene between tasks. In a separate incident, another nurse failed to use a barrier when obtaining a blood glucose sample for a resident. The nurse disinfected her hands, donned personal protective equipment, and placed the glucometer directly on the bedside table without a barrier. After obtaining the blood sample, the glucometer was again placed on the table without any protective barrier. The nurse acknowledged during an interview that a barrier should have been used.