Failure to Track and Document Employee Illnesses for Infection Control
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper tracking and documentation of employee illnesses to determine when staff were safe to return to work, as required by infection prevention and control protocols. Review of employee illness logs from May through July 2025 revealed incomplete documentation, with missing information regarding symptom resolution and clearance for return to work for two staff members: a certified nursing assistant and a dietary aide. Both staff members worked while symptomatic with gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses, including strep throat and diarrhea, without clear evidence of when their symptoms resolved or if they met criteria for returning to work. The logs did not consistently record necessary details such as symptom resolution dates or confirmation that staff were no longer contagious before resuming duties. Interviews with facility staff, including the registered nurse and director of nursing, confirmed that the process for tracking and monitoring employee illnesses was inadequate. The infection preventionist or designee was expected to oversee employee health practices, including work restrictions and return-to-work criteria, but failed to ensure accurate tracking and surveillance. Facility policy required staff with communicable infections to avoid resident contact until they were no longer contagious, but this was not consistently enforced or documented. No resident outbreaks were identified during the review period, but the lack of proper tracking had the potential to affect all residents, staff, and visitors.