Failure to Honor Resident Preferences and Privacy During Wound Care
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to respect resident preferences and privacy for two residents with severe cognitive impairment. For one resident with diagnoses including cellulitis, weakness, depression, and bilateral hearing loss, wound care was routinely performed during late night hours, waking the resident from sleep. The resident expressed a preference to have wound care performed while awake, but staff continued to conduct treatments at night for convenience, without prior consultation or consideration of the resident's wishes. The Director of Nursing confirmed that wound care has been performed at night for years and that residents are not typically asked if they consent to being awakened for treatments. For another resident with Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, malnutrition, pain, and cellulitis, wound care was observed to be performed without adequate privacy. The nurse exposed the resident's abdomen facing the door without closing the door or pulling the privacy curtain. The Director of Nursing acknowledged that the door should be closed to provide privacy during such procedures. Facility policy requires respect for resident dignity, self-determination, and privacy, but these standards were not upheld in the observed incidents.