Failure to Perform Hand Hygiene After Handling Urinal During Meal Assistance
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when the Business Office Manager failed to follow the facility's hand hygiene policy while assisting a resident with their meal. The Business Office Manager entered a resident's room to deliver a lunch tray, placing it on the overbed table next to a urinal containing urine. After obtaining the resident's permission, the Business Office Manager moved the urinal to the bedside table without donning gloves or performing hand hygiene. Subsequently, the Business Office Manager assisted the resident by removing the lid from the lunch plate, opening a milk carton, and placing a straw in the milk, all without performing hand hygiene after handling the urinal. Interviews with the Business Office Manager revealed a lack of awareness regarding the infection control implications of touching the urinal and then handling food items. The Infection Preventionist, DON, and Administrator all confirmed that the correct procedure would have involved setting the tray on a clean surface, donning gloves to move the urinal, removing gloves, and performing hand hygiene before assisting with the meal. Documentation showed that the Business Office Manager had received training on infection control and hand hygiene upon hire, but failed to implement these practices during the observed incident.