Failure to Ensure Resident Dignity and Privacy
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to respond respectfully and promptly to a resident's request for assistance with toileting, and did not protect residents' right to privacy regarding electronic health information. A resident with intact cognition, a history of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, cancer, and recent falls, who required staff assistance for toileting, asked a registered nurse for help locating the bathroom. The nurse informed the resident that the bathroom was in her room, questioned her presence in the hallway, and then sought assistance from another staff member who was not employed at the facility. The nurse stated she could not help due to being occupied with treatments and walked away, leaving the resident unattended. Shortly after, the resident was observed alone in her room, attempting to transfer from her wheelchair to the bed with her pants and incontinence underwear partially pulled up, exposing her upper buttocks, and the bathroom door open. Additionally, the facility did not safeguard residents' confidential health information. On two separate occasions, a treatment cart with a laptop displaying a resident's picture and confidential health information was left unattended and unlocked in residential hallways. Staff, including registered nurses, left the computer screens visible and unattended while out of sight, despite the facility's policy and staff interviews confirming the expectation to lock computer screens when not in use to protect privacy.