Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Published on Tue Mar 16, 2004 PDF

How Would You Have Cited The Following Real-Life Scenario?
 
Read the following verbatim deficiency excerpt and decide how you would have cited the facilities if you were handing out the F tags. 

Scenario: "Resident A-7 has had 12 falls since his admission to the facility on 3/30/02, three of which resulted in blows to his head." "...aggressive, preventive measures have not been implemented, care plan approaches have not been followed, adequate supervision and monitoring have not been provided..." "He has fallen five times since his care plan was revised on 7/20/02, but the assessment completed on 7/19/02 did not reflect his history of falls."  "This resident and his wife reported that staff either don't respond to the call bells or they turn them off and never come back." "... eight of the 12 falls occurred as a result of independent transfers and toileting."


Answer: F324 (accidents) cited at a K level. Surveyors found the facility failed to provide adequate supervision to prevent injuries from falls and/or choking, placing the health and safety of residents in immediate jeopardy.
 
F324 has to do with accidents where the facility is required to ensure that each resident receives adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents. The intent of this provision is that the facility identifies each resident at risk for accidents and/or falls, and adequately plans care and implements procedures to prevent accidents. An accident is an unexpected, unintended event that can cause a resident bodily injury. It does not include adverse outcomes associated as direct consequences of treatment or care (e.g., drug side effects or reactions).

Source: Presentation by Beth Klitch, principal of Survey Solutions Inc. in Columbus, OH. Used by permission.