Soiled and Damaged Foam and Tape on Resident Equipment
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that environmental equipment used by residents was maintained so it could be appropriately cleaned and sanitized for seven of eight residents reviewed. Multiple residents were observed with wheelchairs, bed rails, bedside tables, and assist bars covered with black tape, electrical tape, duct tape, or flexible foam tubing that was visibly soiled, frayed, torn, scuffed, or missing pieces. These items included wheelchair hand rims, bed rails, bedside table edges, and bed/assist bars in the rooms of residents who used the equipment for mobility, turning, repositioning, or support. Resident #34, who had intact cognition and independently propelled a wheelchair, had black tape wrapped around both wheelchair hand rims that was visibly soiled and frayed. Resident #120, also cognitively intact, had foam tubes and tape on both bed rails and stated the items were unsightly and appeared to have been left from a prior resident. Resident #103, who used a wheelchair and propelled it independently, had foam tubes and tape around the wheelchair hand rims that were torn and frayed. Staff interviews confirmed that the foam tubes and tape made the equipment difficult to clean, and the nurse manager acknowledged the padding was shredded, the tape was frayed, and cleaning these items was an infection control concern. Additional observations showed Resident #11 and Resident #18 had bedside tables with black foam bordering the edges and visible soil and debris around or under the foam, and Resident #53 had duct-taped foam padding on the footboard and a right-sided assist bar with flexible padding secured by electrical tape. Resident #138, admitted with multiple fractures, had porous foam tubing attached to the wheelbase of the bedside table with scuff marks and missing chunks; staff could not identify a resident-specific reason for the modification and suggested it may have been from a previous resident. Across these residents, documentation and interviews did not identify a documented reason or care plan support for the foam or tape modifications.
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