Infection Control Deficiencies in Trash Handling, Catheter Bag Placement, and Respiratory Equipment Storage
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple infection control deficiencies during their walkthrough of the facility. A certified nurse's aide was seen transporting uncontained trash and laundry down the hallway, rather than using the designated barrels with lids. In several resident rooms, urinary catheter collection bags were found lying directly on the floor, filled with urine, instead of being properly secured off the floor. Additionally, respiratory equipment such as BIPAP masks, nebulizer masks, and nasal cannulas were not stored in a sanitary manner, with items left on bedside tables, on top of machines, or wrapped around oxygen canister handles. Interviews with nursing staff confirmed that facility policy requires trash and laundry to be transported in containers with lids, respiratory equipment to be stored in dated bags when not in use, and catheter bags to be kept off the floor, potentially in a wash basin if necessary. The facility's own policies on indwelling urinary catheter care and infection control emphasize daily care and proper hygiene practices to reduce infection risk. Despite these policies, the observed practices did not align with facility protocols, resulting in deficiencies related to infection prevention and control.