Failure to Perform Hand Hygiene During Meal Service
Penalty
Summary
A certified nursing assistant (CNA) failed to perform proper hand hygiene while serving and assisting residents with their meals. During observation, the CNA was seen leaving a resident's room after delivering a meal tray, adjusting her eyeglasses, and then proceeding to handle another resident's meal tray and utensils without sanitizing her hands. The CNA touched her face and personal glasses multiple times before assisting a resident with their meal, including cutting up the resident's food, without performing hand hygiene in between these actions. Record review showed that the CNA did not attend a recent in-service training on meal tray pass, which included hand hygiene expectations. Interviews with the CNA revealed she was aware of the need for hand hygiene between serving residents but was unclear about the procedure after touching her glasses. Both the Director of Nursing (DON) and the Administrator confirmed their expectations for staff to use hand sanitizer before and between each resident's tray delivery, including after touching their face or glasses. Facility policies emphasized hand hygiene as a primary means of infection prevention, but the policy on nursing responsibilities at meal service did not address hand hygiene during meal service.