Failure to Provide Psychosocial Assessment and Social Services After Abuse Allegation
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when the facility failed to assess the psychosocial status and provide medically related social services to a resident following an allegation of physical abuse. The resident, who had diagnoses including morbid obesity, nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage, above-knee amputation, congestive heart failure, and gout, was cognitively intact according to a recent MDS assessment. The resident reported that another resident entered his room at night, sat on his bed, and punched him in the chest. He expressed feeling emotionally upset, experiencing flashbacks, and not feeling safe in the facility. Despite these reports, there was no documentation that the resident was assessed by the Social Worker or referred for psychological evaluation after the incident. The Nurse Practitioner documented the resident's fear and his actions to protect himself, such as keeping scissors under his pillow, but did not report these findings to other staff or request a social work evaluation. The Social Worker confirmed she did not follow up with the resident after the abuse allegation and was unaware of the resident's actions to protect himself. The Administrator acknowledged that the Social Worker should have followed up with the resident after the incident. The lack of follow-up and assessment by the Social Worker after the abuse allegation led to the deficiency.