Failure to Timely Initiate Care Plan for Resident on Contact Precautions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to initiate and create a care plan for a resident who was placed on contact precautions after testing positive for MRSA in a wound. The resident, who had a history of facial weakness following a cerebral infarction, was admitted with a wound that later tested positive for MRSA. Contact isolation precautions were started, and the Infection Preventionist was notified of the new orders and culture results. However, a review of the records revealed that the care plan addressing the resident's isolation precautions was not created until a month after the positive MRSA result and the initiation of contact precautions. During interviews and record reviews, it was confirmed that the care plan for isolation precautions was created significantly later than when the precautions were started. The facility's policy requires that a comprehensive, person-centered care plan with measurable objectives and timetables be developed and implemented for each resident, and that care plans are revised as residents' conditions change. The delay in creating the care plan meant that the necessary direction for care and treatment related to the resident's infection control needs was not documented or implemented in a timely manner.