Failure to Ensure Availability of CPR-Certified Staff
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the availability of staff who could provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel, as required by physician orders and residents’ advance directives. There was no policy in place regarding staff CPR certification or maintaining a list of staff currently on shift who were CPR certified. Review of employee files revealed that several staff members, including RNs, CNAs, and CMTs, did not have evidence of current CPR certification in their files. Interviews with staff indicated that some had expired certifications, some were not certified at all, and none were asked about their CPR certification status upon hire. Staff also reported not knowing which coworkers on shift were CPR certified, often assuming the charge nurse was certified without confirmation. The Director of Nursing and the Administrator both confirmed that the facility lacked a policy on staff CPR certification and did not maintain a list or record of which staff had current CPR certification. The physician interviewed expected the facility to have such a policy and for at least all nursing staff to be CPR certified. The deficiency had the potential to affect all residents who were full code, as there was no assurance that staff present during an emergency would be able to provide CPR.