Failure to Provide Privacy Curtains for Resident During Personal Care
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide privacy curtains for one resident, resulting in a lack of privacy during personal care activities. The resident, who was admitted with a broken right leg, broken hip, and encephalopathy, required partial to moderate assistance from nursing staff for activities of daily living such as toileting, showering, dressing, and personal hygiene. Observations confirmed that the resident's bed did not have privacy curtains, and staff interviews revealed that the absence of curtains had been noticed but not promptly reported or documented in the maintenance log. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) 2 acknowledged assisting the resident with showering and lotion application, stating that privacy curtains are important to prevent exposure, but admitted not documenting the need for curtains. Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) 5 noticed the missing curtains and documented it in the maintenance log only after the deficiency was observed. The Registered Nurse (RN) and Maintenance Director were unaware of the missing curtains until the issue was brought to their attention. The facility's policy requires staff to promote and protect resident privacy, including bodily privacy during personal care, which was not upheld in this instance.