Failure to Label IV Tubing During Antibiotic Administration
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to minimize risks for a resident receiving intravenous (IV) therapy by not labeling and dating the IV infusion tubing as required by facility policy. The policy specified that all IV tubing must be labeled with the date, time, and initials. During an observation, a resident with a midline IV site in the left upper arm was found connected to infusion tubing and an empty IV Vancomycin medication bag, but the tubing was not labeled with the required information. At the time of observation, the LPN present was unable to identify who had hung the IV bag or when it was done. The resident involved had multiple diagnoses, including epilepsy, cerebral infarction, and a benign neoplasm of the cerebral meninges, and was receiving Vancomycin IV therapy for bacteremia as ordered by a physician. Documentation showed that the midline was placed and the resident tolerated the procedure well, with no adverse reactions noted. However, the failure to label the IV tubing was directly observed and confirmed by staff interviews, indicating non-compliance with established protocols for safe IV administration.