05/05/2022

Survey Tip of the Week: PPE

Infection Control F-tag 880 is the top cited f-tag in Ohio for both standard and complaint surveys in FY 2022. Staff not wearing appropriate PPE is the most common item cited. Examples include staff not wearing universal source control of eye protection when the community transmission level was high or substantial, staff entering quarantine or isolation rooms for COVID-19 without all necessary PPE (eye protection, N95, gown, and gloves), contracted individuals identified as staff not wearing eye protection as necessary in resident care areas, staff wearing masks that were not NIOSH approved or facility provided, staff not wearing masks appropriately, and exempted staff not wearing N95’s if facility policy stated that was the additional precaution applied by the facility are a few of the items commonly cited.

The community transmission levels in Ohio continue to fluctuate. LeadingAge Ohio encourages members to monitor the CDC webpage, establish the frequency and individuals responsible for monitoring, and communicate to all stakeholders accordingly. The facility policy should also reflect the frequency of monitoring the transmission levels and implementing universal source control accordingly.

LeadingAge Ohio encourages facilities to utilize the LTC Survey Pathway for Infection Control to monitor for compliance. The survey pathways can be found on the CMS Nursing Home webpage, under the download section, and within the zip file called LTC Survey Pathways.

For more information about the citations occurring in Ohio, please join us on the monthly STAT: Survey Tips and Tactics call. Register now for the May 11 call at 10:00am.

LeadingAge Ohio is sharing tips to assist members during the survey process. Send questions you’d like addressed in future Tips of the Week to Stephanie DeWees at sdewees@leadingageohio.org.