Failure to Provide Timely and Appropriate Wound Care per Physician Orders
Summary
The facility failed to provide treatment and care in accordance with physician orders, professional standards, and the residents' comprehensive care plans for two residents with complex wound care needs. For one resident with a history of end stage renal disease, peripheral vascular disease, morbid obesity, fournier gangrene, diabetes mellitus, and idiopathic aseptic necrosis of the right finger, the facility did not complete required weekly assessments of the left scrotum surgical wound and right fifth digit wound. Additionally, wound care treatments were not consistently performed as ordered by the physician. On multiple occasions, the prescribed wound care for the right fifth digit and the left scrotum was either not completed or not performed according to the specific instructions, such as using the correct dressing materials and application methods. The resident reported to the surveyor that treatments were sometimes missed, not documented, or not performed as ordered, and that he had to remind staff to complete his care. Direct observation by the surveyor confirmed that wound care was not performed according to physician orders. For example, the nurse used alternative dressing materials without a transcribed physician order and applied tape directly to the scrotum, contrary to the physician's instructions. The nurse also failed to perform the ordered treatment for the right fifth digit during the observed care session. Review of the treatment administration record (TAR) revealed missed documentation and uncompleted treatments, with staff confirming that a blank entry indicated the treatment was not done. Furthermore, there was no evidence of weekly wound assessments for the affected areas, despite facility policy and staff statements indicating that such assessments should be completed. For another resident with multiple non-pressure wounds and a history of diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and fractures, the facility did not perform comprehensive wound assessments upon admission. The initial head-to-toe evaluation identified multiple skin alterations, but there were no detailed descriptions or measurements of the wounds, and comprehensive assessments were not completed until six days after admission by the wound physician. Additionally, daily wound treatments ordered by the physician were not initiated until two days after admission. Staff interviews confirmed that the process for wound assessment and order transcription was not consistently followed, resulting in delays in both assessment and treatment initiation.
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