Delayed Antibiotic Treatment for UTIs Due to Lab and Medication Delays
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure timely antibiotic treatment for residents diagnosed with urinary tract infections (UTIs) for two of fifteen residents reviewed. For one resident with severe cognitive impairment and multiple comorbidities, urine was collected for a urinalysis and culture, but there was a delay in both the laboratory processing and the initiation of antibiotic therapy. The urine sample was collected and received by the lab two days later, with culture results reported four days after collection. Despite the positive UTI result, antibiotic treatment was not started until three days after the results were available. For another resident with neurogenic bladder and a urinary catheter, urine was collected and refrigerated for lab pickup, and the catheter was replaced due to leaking. The urine culture results were reported within three days, but the antibiotic prescribed was not administered until four days after the results were available due to medication unavailability. Interviews with nursing staff and the infection preventionist confirmed that there were delays in obtaining lab results and starting antibiotics, and the facility lacked a policy on the timeliness of lab processing and treatment initiation.