Failure to Perform Hand Hygiene During Medication Administration
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) failed to perform hand hygiene during medication administration for a resident. The facility's hand hygiene policy, dated 7/7/2025, requires associates to perform hand hygiene before and after contact with residents and after contact with objects and surfaces in the resident's environment. During an observation, the LPN was seen exiting one resident's room after administering medication without performing hand hygiene, then unplugging the computer, moving the medication cart, preparing medications for another resident, and entering the next resident's room to administer medications, again without performing hand hygiene. The residents involved included one with chronic conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, and Hypertension, and another with Dementia, Depression, and Anxiety, who was cognitively intact according to a recent assessment. The LPN confirmed during an interview that hand hygiene was not performed prior to preparing and administering medications to the second resident. The Director of Nursing also confirmed that staff are expected to perform hand hygiene between residents during medication administration.