Soiled Bed Pad/Brief Included in Resident's Discharge Belongings
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the safe handling and disposal of a soiled bed pad/brief for one resident. After the resident was transferred to the hospital, staff collected and bagged the resident's belongings, which were then placed at the nursing station for pickup by a family member. Upon receiving the belongings, the family member discovered a soiled bed pad/brief, visibly contaminated with urine and feces, inside a clear bag labeled with the resident's name and room number. Photographic evidence confirmed the presence of the soiled item among the resident's personal effects. Interviews with the certified nurse aides involved in packing the belongings revealed that while they recognized the bags as the resident's, neither could recall specifically packing the clear bag containing the soiled item. One aide confirmed packing the blue bags but not the clear ones, while the other could not recall which bags they packed but denied knowingly including soiled items. Video surveillance confirmed that the clear bag with the soiled bed pad/brief was handed off to the family member as part of the resident's belongings. The administrator and surveyors reviewed the evidence and confirmed the deficiency.