Resident-to-resident physical altercation resulting in facial injury
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to protect a resident from physical resident-to-resident abuse when one resident punched his roommate in the face, causing a red mark. One resident reported that he and his former roommate were yelling at each other and that the roommate hit him in the eye, resulting in redness; he denied striking the other resident and later stated he felt safer and satisfied after a room change. The other resident admitted he had a verbal and physical altercation with his roommate, acknowledged punching him in the jaw/face, and reported having redness on his own cheek from being hit. Progress notes from the date of the incident document that the aggressor resident was observed in his room agitated, verbally aggressive, combative, yelling, using profanity, and verbally threatening staff, and that he was unable to be redirected despite several attempts to console him. The facility’s initial reportable indicated that the aggressor resident allegedly made unwanted physical contact with his roommate, with redness noted on the right side of the roommate’s face, and that the aggressor was petitioned to the hospital for evaluation. A behavioral hospital record for the aggressor resident documented a treatment plan problem of danger to others with psychosis, noting aggression at the nursing home, including punching and attacking his roommate, and describing his admission as a direct transfer from the nursing home due to psychosis and aggression, with the resident’s own chief complaint being, “I punched someone.” The final reportable summary of investigation stated that, after staff and resident interviews, the roommate reported that the aggressor struck him in the face, and a CNA had initially alerted the nurse to the red mark on the roommate’s face. Despite the facility’s written abuse policy prohibiting abuse and affirming residents’ rights to be free from abuse and mistreatment, this resident-to-resident physical altercation occurred, resulting in documented injury to the affected resident.
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