Failure to Sanitize Blood Pressure Cuff Between Residents
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain proper infection prevention and control practices when a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) did not clean a blood pressure cuff between use on three different residents during medication administration. Observations showed that the LVN used the same blood pressure cuff on multiple residents without sanitizing it with a wipe between each use, despite returning to the medication cart after each resident. The LVN acknowledged not cleaning the cuff between residents and stated awareness of the importance of sanitizing shared equipment to control infection. Interviews with facility leadership confirmed that equipment used for more than one resident must be wiped with a sanitizing wipe between uses, as outlined in the facility's infection control policy. The policy requires reusable equipment to be appropriately cleaned, disinfected, or reprocessed to prevent the development and transmission of communicable diseases and infections.