Failure to Administer Influenza Vaccine per Consent and Policy
Penalty
Summary
A resident with multiple diagnoses, including dementia, hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, schizoaffective disorder, auditory hallucinations, hypothyroidism, depression, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was admitted to the facility. The resident's appointed representative signed a consent form authorizing administration of the influenza vaccine. Despite this consent, review of the resident's medical records, including the medication and treatment administration records for March and April, showed no documentation that the influenza vaccine was administered. Further investigation revealed that the facility had run out of influenza vaccine and did not notify the Director of Nursing or the resident's representative about the unavailability or the missed vaccination. The facility's policy requires that residents admitted during flu season be offered the vaccine within five working days of admission, and that administration or refusal be documented. In this case, there was no documentation of vaccine administration, nor was there evidence that the representative was informed of the missed vaccination.