Failure to Follow Infection Control Procedures During Medication Administration
Penalty
Summary
During medication administration, two residents were given medications that had been dropped onto the top of the medication cart by two different LPNs. In the first instance, a furosemide tablet was dropped and then placed into the administration cup and given to the resident. The LPN involved acknowledged during an interview that she should have discarded the dropped pill and obtained a new one, as per her training. In the second instance, both a clopidogrel tablet and a sertraline tablet were dropped onto the medication cart and subsequently administered to another resident. The LPN in this case also stated in an interview that she should have replaced the dropped medications. Review of the facility's medication administration policy confirmed that staff are required to follow infection control procedures, including not administering medications that have been dropped. The DON confirmed that it is not facility policy to administer dropped medications.