Failure to Provide Timely Pain Management on Admission
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide timely and appropriate pain management for two residents who required such services upon admission. One resident, admitted after a below-the-knee amputation, reported severe pain rated at 10 out of 10, described as throbbing, stabbing, and burning, both at rest and with movement. Despite the resident's ability to communicate their needs and a clear pain assessment indicating severe pain, pain medication was not administered until approximately six hours after admission. The resident stated they requested pain medication upon arrival but experienced a significant delay before receiving it, resulting in prolonged, uncontrolled pain. Another resident, admitted following spine surgery with two surgical wounds, also reported pain at a level of 10 out of 10 in their lower back and right leg. This resident did not receive prescribed pain medications until over three hours after admission. The resident expressed dissatisfaction, stating they were told the facility had run out of their pain medication and that no alternative pain management interventions, including non-pharmacological options, were offered. Interviews with staff confirmed that pain medication should have been provided promptly and that procedures existed to obtain medications from the facility's dispensing system if not immediately available from the pharmacy.