Failure to Perform Hand Hygiene and Follow Sanitary Practices During Medication Administration
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a registered nurse failed to perform hand hygiene prior to administering medications and did not follow proper sanitary practices during medication preparation. The nurse was observed touching multiple potentially contaminated surfaces, such as medication drawer handles, medication cards, and a computer mouse, before dispensing several oral medications directly into her unwashed hands. The medications were then placed into a medication cup and administered to a resident without the nurse performing hand hygiene before or after the process. The nurse also handled a nasal spray and provided it to the resident without conducting hand hygiene. The resident involved had a medical history including dysphagia, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant neoplasm of the head, face, and neck, and was prescribed multiple oral medications and a nasal spray. Facility policy required hand hygiene before medication administration and prohibited touching medications or the inside of medication cups during preparation or administration. Both the nurse and facility leadership confirmed that the observed practices did not comply with facility policy.