Infection Control Deficiencies in Wound Care and Glucometer Cleaning
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper infection prevention and control practices during wound care and blood glucose monitoring. During wound care for a resident with a surgical wound and wound vacuum on the left foot, the LPN did not follow established infection control protocols. Supplies were placed directly on an un-sanitized over-bed table without a barrier, and no protective barrier was placed under the resident's foot, resulting in purulent drainage contaminating the bed linen. The LPN reused gauze pads to clean the wound, did not change gloves between removing the old dressing and cleaning the wound, and used scissors that had been placed on an un-sanitized surface to cut wound care materials. After the procedure, items such as the skin prep spray and scissors were handled with ungloved hands and placed on the treatment cart without immediate sanitization. Additionally, the facility failed to ensure that glucometers were cleansed according to the manufacturer's guidelines between resident uses. An LPN was observed performing fingerstick blood sugar checks on multiple residents using two glucometers, but did not properly disinfect the devices between uses. Instead of using a registered disinfectant or germicidal wipe as required by the manufacturer, the LPN used alcohol pads to clean the glucometers and only did so after multiple uses. The LPN stated that she had been instructed by management to use alcohol wipes, although the DON was unaware of this change and confirmed that germicidal wipes were the expected method. Facility policy for wound care required establishing a clean field, using barriers to protect linens, performing hand hygiene, changing gloves appropriately, and sanitizing reusable items before returning them to the treatment cart. The policy for glucometer cleaning aligned with the manufacturer's guidelines, which specified the use of a registered disinfectant or bleach solution. These protocols were not followed during the observed incidents, resulting in deficiencies in infection prevention and control.