Failure to Maintain Infection Control During Medication Administration and Incontinence Care
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain an effective infection prevention and control program for two residents observed for infection control practices. In one instance, a medication aide prepared medications for a female resident with dementia, heart failure, and diabetes. During medication preparation, a tablet fell onto the medication cart, and the aide picked it up with her bare hand and placed it in the medication cup, later administering it to the resident. The aide acknowledged she was not supposed to pick up or administer medication that had fallen on the cart due to potential contamination, despite having been in-serviced on infection control. In another instance, a certified nursing assistant provided incontinence care to a female resident with vascular dementia, dysphagia, and a feeding tube. The assistant performed initial hand hygiene and donned gloves before care, but after changing gloves during the process, she did not perform any form of hand hygiene. The assistant admitted she was aware of the requirement to clean her hands after glove removal but failed to do so, citing that she had forgotten her hand sanitizer and did not use the resident's bathroom sink. The facility's policy requires staff to follow hand hygiene procedures to prevent the spread of infection.