Nursing Home Infection Control Checklist
The elderly and infirm are especially susceptible to severe outcomes from infectious diseases, including COVID-19, influenza, and bacterial infections like C. diff. Unfortunately, even before recent pandemics, many nursing homes struggled with basic infection prevention protocols.
A Kaiser Health News analysis of federal records found that over 60% of facilities surveyed had been cited for not following basic infection prevention protocols. As a caregiver, you cannot rely solely on government regulators to ensure your loved one's safety. You must ask direct questions and demand transparency.
The Importance of Facility Protocols
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issues clear guidance on screening and treatment procedures necessary to prevent the spread of viruses in long-term care facilities. Facilities are required to have written policies, active screening, and adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand sanitizer.
Questions to Ask Administration
If you have a loved one in a nursing home, use this checklist to evaluate the facility's infection control readiness. Remember to follow up in writing to confirm the answers you receive.
- Written Policy: What is the facility doing to minimize the risk of infection? Do they have a written policy and action plan that you can review?
- Response Plan: Does the facility have a specific, responsive procedure upon finding a communicable infection in a resident or staff member?
- Staff Education: Have the staff been formally educated about the risks of current pathogens and proper PPE usage?
- Enforcement: How are the procedures and protocols being monitored and enforced by management?
- Staff Leave Policy: Does the facility have a paid leave policy for staff who show symptoms or may have been exposed? What is the plan to replace them to avoid dangerous understaffing?
- Visitor Screening: Does the facility actively monitor and restrict visitors to prevent bringing infections into the facility, in accordance with CMS guidelines?
- Communication: If you cannot enter the facility due to a lockdown, what specific technologies or procedures are in place to ensure you can communicate with your loved one?
Monitoring Staff Hygiene Practices
When you are able to visit, keep your eyes open for potential problems. Some issues are obvious, such as staff members failing to wear masks or gloves when required, or failing to wash their hands between patient rooms. Other issues may be less obvious, such as uncollected, unsanitary dishes left in rooms, or a general lack of cleanliness in common areas.
Document whatever you see. Put your specific concerns in an email or letter and send it to the nursing home administration. If the issue is not resolved, copy the NJ Long-Term Care Ombudsman or the Department of Health.