Failure to Notify Physician and Responsible Party of Resident's Respiratory Distress
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to promptly notify both the physician and the responsible party when a resident experienced respiratory distress. According to the clinical record, the resident, who had a history of asthma, was noted by an LVN to have increasing difficulty breathing and shortness of breath. Despite this significant change in condition, the LVN did not contact the resident's physician or responsible party at the time of the event. During interviews and record reviews, it was confirmed that there was no documentation indicating that the physician or responsible party had been informed of the resident's respiratory episode. The Director of Nursing acknowledged the absence of notification and stated that facility policy requires informing the physician and responsible party of such changes in condition. The facility's policy specifically lists significant changes in physical condition, such as life-threatening events, as circumstances requiring immediate notification.