Failure to Immediately Report Resident's Allegation of Verbal Abuse
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a staff member failed to follow the facility's Abuse Prohibition Policy after a resident reported an allegation of verbal abuse. The policy required all staff to immediately notify the shift supervisor, charge nurse, manager, or administrator if suspected abuse occurred. In this case, a resident with moderately impaired cognitive patterns informed the Nurse Practitioner (NP) that a social worker screamed at and verbally abused them, including making derogatory and harmful statements. The NP documented the resident's statements in a progress note but did not immediately report the allegation to supervisory staff or administration as required by policy. The Director of Nursing (DON) only became aware of the allegation the following day upon reviewing the NP's documentation. The failure to promptly report the abuse allegation delayed the facility's response and was not in accordance with established procedures. The incident was later reported through the Health Care Facility Reporting System, but the initial lack of immediate notification constituted non-compliance with the facility's abuse reporting policy.