Failure to Perform Hand Hygiene During Wound Care
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) failed to perform proper hand hygiene during a dressing change for a resident diagnosed with paraplegia, anxiety, and depression. According to the facility's wound care and hand hygiene policies, staff are required to wash and dry hands thoroughly after removing soiled dressings and before proceeding with further wound care. During an observed dressing change, the LPN removed a soiled dressing and cleansed the wound but did not complete hand hygiene before applying Medi-honey and covering the wound with border gauze. This lapse was confirmed during a staff interview, where the LPN acknowledged not performing hand hygiene after removing the soiled dressing. The failure to adhere to established infection prevention and control protocols resulted in a risk of cross contamination during the wound care procedure for the resident.