Failure to Follow Infection Control Protocols During Medication Administration and Contact Precautions
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to adhere to infection prevention and control protocols during medication administration and while maintaining contact isolation precautions. In one instance, an LPN administered medications via a gastrostomy tube to a resident with multiple complex medical conditions, including a tracheostomy and enteral feeding, who was on enhanced barrier precautions. The LPN changed gloves between medication tasks but did not perform hand hygiene as required by facility policy before proceeding to administer a nasal inhaler. In another instance, a CNA entered the room of a resident on contact precautions for Clostridium difficile to deliver a lunch tray but did not wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as indicated by signage and facility policy. Both failures were confirmed by staff interviews and were not in accordance with the facility's infection prevention and control policies, which reference CDC guidelines for transmission-based precautions.