Failure to Follow Infection Control Procedures During Medication Administration
Penalty
Summary
During a medication administration observation, a registered nurse (RN) failed to follow infection control procedures when administering Vitamin D3 to a resident with a history of volvulus, malignant neoplasms, and absence of parts of the digestive tract, cervix, and uterus. The RN initially gave one capsule instead of the ordered two, then returned to the medication cart, used hand sanitizer, and placed two capsules in a medicine cup. Realizing only one additional capsule was needed, the RN used her bare hands to remove one capsule from the cup, touching the remaining capsule, and returned the removed capsule to the original medication bottle. The RN then administered the remaining capsule to the resident. Interviews with the RN, the Director of Nursing (DON), and the Nursing Coordinator confirmed that staff are not permitted to touch medications with bare hands or return medications to the original bottle. Facility policy requires an infection prevention and control program to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases and infections. The incident was identified as a failure to implement proper infection control procedures during medication administration.