MDS Alert
Evaluate Infection Assessment
Find out if your approach needs debugging.
Does your facility complete a comprehensive assessment for residents found to have signs/symptoms of the following common infections upon screening?
• Pneumonia
• Other respiratory infections, including tuberculosis
• Infected wounds, including decubitus ulcers (pressure/bed sores)
• Recurrent lung aspiration
• Urinary tract, bladder infections
• Septicemia
• Viral hepatitis
• Fever (undefined)
Does your facility's process for comprehensive infection assessment include all of the elements below? On admission, readmission, or reassessment of infection, are the following elements included?
a. Temperature, including the mode used (oral, rectal, axillary, ear probe).
b. Presence of rash, including location and description.
c. Presence and description of the pertinent signs of infection (e.g., for a new onset cough, the frequency and intensity of the cough, and amount and color of sputum, etc.).
d. Date and time of onset or, after treatment is begun, the recurrence of symptoms, signs (e.g., "sudden chill at 2 pm," or "spiked a fever of 101 degrees at 0800," or, for hepatitis, "onset of jaundice last August," etc.).
e. Pertinent history of recent infection (e.g., "hospitalized for pneumonia last year").
f. Information concerning possible contagion (e.g., regularly plays cards with Mrs. A, Mr. B, and Miss C in the activities room).
g. Which licensed staff performs admission assessments.
Source: Excerpted from materials developed by the Quality Improvement Organization program for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Nursing Home Quality Initiative. Read the entire Facility Assessment Checklists For Infection, including disclaimers, at medqic.org.
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