Failure to Follow Infection Control Practices During Medication Administration
Penalty
Summary
Staff failed to follow appropriate infection control practices during medication administration for two residents on the One North nursing unit. During the administration of medications, an LPN was observed picking up medications that had fallen onto the medication cart with his bare hands and placing them into the residents' medication cups without performing hand hygiene or wearing gloves. This occurred multiple times with different medications, including Vitamin D2, Senna, Lorazepam, and Furosemide, for two separate residents. A review of the facility's Infection Control Policy and Procedure indicated that standard precautions, including hand hygiene, are required to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Despite this, the LPN did not wash his hands or use gloves after handling medications that had come into contact with potentially contaminated surfaces. These findings were confirmed during an interview with the Nursing Home Administrator.