Failure to Perform Hand Hygiene During Medication Administration
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to perform proper hand hygiene during medication administration for two residents. In one instance, a medication aide donned gloves to assist a resident with sitting up, administered medication and nasal spray, applied powder, and assisted the resident to lie down. The aide then removed gloves and exited the room without performing hand hygiene before donning gloves, after removing them, or upon leaving the room. The aide later confirmed awareness of the hand hygiene requirement but stated they forgot to perform it. In another instance, a registered nurse donned gloves to administer eye drops to a resident without performing hand hygiene beforehand. The nurse also confirmed knowledge of the hand hygiene protocol but did not follow it. Review of the facility's hand hygiene policy indicated that staff are required to use hand sanitizer or wash hands before and after glove use, and immediately before and after patient contact.