Soiled Resident Wheelchair and IV Poles
Summary
Resident equipment was not maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. R4’s annual MDS indicated cognitive intactness, extensive assistance with cares, diagnoses including hemiplegia, diabetes, spondylosis, and osteoarthritis, and use of a wheelchair for locomotion. R4’s care plan identified assistance needs for wheelchair mobility due to impaired mobility and left-sided hemiplegia. During repeated observations, R4’s wheelchair remained soiled, with dycem and tape peeling on the footrest and calf rest, an unidentified white and brown crusty substance on the taped areas, and a small piece of paper taped to the arm rest with dried brown substance at the tape edges. The wheelchair was observed in the same condition over multiple days, and staff gave conflicting accounts about who was responsible for cleaning wheelchairs and when they were cleaned. R40 and R98 also had tube feeding equipment that was not kept clean. R40’s significant change MDS showed moderate cognitive impairment and dependence on staff, with diagnoses including dysphagia, gastrostomy, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. R98’s quarterly MDS showed severe cognitive impairment and total dependence on staff, with diagnoses including Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, quadriplegia, gastrostomy, and dysphagia. In both residents’ rooms, IV poles attached to tube feeding pumps were observed with an unidentified white, dried substance covering all five legs of the poles. The substance remained present on repeated observations over several days. Staff interviews showed inconsistent responsibility for cleaning the IV poles and feeding pumps. NA staff stated nurses cleaned the poles and pumps, RN-A stated they were cleaned on day shift, RN-B stated housekeeping cleaned IV poles, and housekeeping staff stated IV pole cleaning was not on housekeeping’s list. The ADON stated nurses should wipe down IV poles when they were observed to be dirty and described the poles as gross, while the facility policy stated IV equipment such as IV poles should be disinfected weekly or more often if visibly soiled, but no schedule was available for IV pole cleaning.
Penalty
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