Failure to Notify Resident Representative of Change in Condition
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to notify a resident's representative of a significant change in the resident's condition. Specifically, a resident who was diagnosed with pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics did not have her designated representative, her daughter, informed of this change. The resident's electronic face sheet clearly listed her daughter as the resident representative, emergency contact, care conference person, and customer care representative, with updated contact information. Both the Director of Nursing (DON) and a Registered Nurse confirmed that the daughter was the appropriate person to notify for any changes in the resident's condition, including new medication orders. Despite the facility's policy requiring notification of the responsible party in the event of a change in condition, there was no documentation in the medical record that the resident's daughter was informed about the pneumonia diagnosis or the initiation of antibiotic treatment. The resident herself expressed a desire for her daughter to be kept informed about her health status. Staff interviews confirmed that the notification should have occurred and that the contact information was current at the time of the incident.