Unsecured and Soiled Sharps Container Found on Emergency Cart
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when an emergency cart located outside the Cascade Residential Unit Nurses station was observed to have an unlocked sharps container on its lower shelf. The sharps container was found to be soiled with unidentifiable brown matter on the top cover and contained five syringes inside. During interviews, an LPN stated that the cart was used as an emergency kit and suctioning cart, and expressed uncertainty about the purpose of the sharps container being present on the cart. The LPN also indicated that the usual process for disposing of sharps involved placing them in a disposable box in the biohazard room. The DON confirmed that locked sharps containers are typically available on each nurse's cart for sharp disposal.