Failure to Monitor Antibiotic Use per Stewardship Program
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to establish and implement an effective antibiotic stewardship program to monitor antibiotic use for one resident. Specifically, a resident was prescribed Erythromycin Ophthalmic Ointment for an eye infection, with the physician order lacking a specified end date. The order was active and ongoing, and the resident had been using the ointment continuously, including prior to admission. Observations showed the resident's left eye was not red or drooping, and no drainage was visible at the time of the survey. Interviews with facility staff, including an LPN, the DON, and the Infection Preventionist, revealed that antibiotic orders typically require a stop date, and the facility was awaiting further evaluation by the provider before assigning an end date to the resident's antibiotic ointment. The facility's own policy required that all antibiotic orders include a duration of treatment, either as a start and stop date or a specified number of days. The lack of a stop date for the antibiotic order was inconsistent with facility policy and standard practice.