Failure to Protect Resident from Physical Abuse by Another Resident
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident was not protected from physical abuse by another resident. According to the facility's policy, abuse includes the willful infliction of injury resulting in physical harm. Documentation in the electronic medical record showed that a resident complained of pain and was found to have a swollen upper lip after being struck in the face by another resident. A certified nursing assistant witnessed the incident and confirmed that the resident was repeatedly hit in the face. Despite these findings, interviews with facility staff, including a quality assurance nurse and the administrator, revealed that they did not consider the incident to be physical abuse. The quality assurance nurse stated that the altercation was not abuse because the aggressor was reacting to the other resident digging in his bag. The administrator also did not classify the event as abuse, even though physical harm was observed and documented.