Failure to Use PPE During Enhanced Barrier Precautions
Penalty
Summary
Staff failed to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when providing direct care to a resident on enhanced barrier precautions. Specifically, a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) did not wear an isolation gown while emptying the urinary catheter bag of a resident who had an indwelling urinary catheter and was on enhanced barrier precautions per the care plan. The CNA confirmed during an interview that he did not use an isolation gown and was unaware of the need for enhanced barrier precautions for this resident, despite signage and the presence of isolation gowns outside the resident's room. The resident involved had multiple diagnoses, including chronic viral hepatitis C, type II diabetes, morbid obesity, substance dependence, anxiety and mood disorders, paraplegia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The care plan for this resident specifically required enhanced barrier precautions and the use of an isolation gown and gloves during high-contact care activities, such as device care for the indwelling urinary catheter. Facility policy also required these precautions, but the CNA reported not having received education on enhanced barrier precautions.