Failure to Follow Infection Control Practices During Medication Administration and Enhanced Barrier Precautions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain proper infection prevention and control practices as evidenced by two separate incidents involving medication administration and enhanced barrier precautions. In the first incident, a registered nurse was observed administering medications from blister packs to a resident. When two medications fell onto the uncovered medication cart, the nurse used her bare fingers to place the medications into a cup for administration, contrary to facility policy which prohibits touching medications with bare hands and requires discarding medications that fall onto surfaces. The Director of Nursing confirmed that these actions were not in accordance with facility policy. In the second incident, a licensed practical nurse was observed providing care to a resident with a gastrostomy tube and an order for enhanced barrier precautions due to wounds and the feeding tube. The nurse wore gloves but failed to wear a gown while flushing the gastrostomy tube and connecting enteral feeding, despite facility policy and posted signage requiring both gloves and a gown for such high-contact care activities. The Director of Nursing confirmed that a gown should have been worn during this procedure.