Failure to Follow Antibiotic Stewardship Protocol for Two Residents
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to adhere to its antibiotic stewardship protocol by administering antibiotics to two residents without meeting the established clinical criteria outlined in its policy. For one resident with vascular dementia, dysphagia, cystitis, and benign prostatic hyperplasia, antibiotics were prescribed and administered following a hospital diagnosis of cystitis with hematuria, despite a urinalysis showing no bacteria and the absence of additional symptoms required by McGeers' Criteria. The infection tracking log noted that the resident did not meet the criteria for a urinary tract infection, but antibiotic therapy was continued based on the hospital's diagnosis and physician's decision. Another resident with multiple diagnoses, including obesity and reduced mobility, received antibiotics after a urine culture was completed in the hospital, but there was no documentation confirming the presence or identification of an organism in the urine. The infection tracking log for this resident indicated that McGeers' criteria were not met and the required documentation was incomplete. In both cases, the DON confirmed that antibiotics were administered without meeting the facility's established criteria for appropriate use, as required by the facility's antibiotic stewardship policy.