Inaccurate Charting of Dialysis Vital Signs and Weights
Summary
The facility failed to ensure professional standards of practice were followed for accurate charting of dialysis assessments, including vital signs and weights, for one resident who required dialysis three times per week for end stage renal disease. The resident’s MDS indicated moderate cognitive impairment and dependence on staff for dressing, hygiene, and mobility. The care plan and active orders required weights and vital signs before dialysis and again upon return from dialysis, and the resident’s dialysis routine included transport to the dialysis center before the scheduled treatment time and return to the facility several hours later. During observation, the resident was being prepared to leave for dialysis, and the NM stated that vital signs and weight are completed before dialysis and again after return to the facility. The dialysis communication sheet for the resident showed a blood pressure documented at 10:50 a.m. with no weight, but that blood pressure was later entered into the chart at 3:17 p.m. rather than at the time it was taken. Review of the TAR from 12/12/25 through 2/9/26 showed multiple instances in which pre-dialysis blood pressures, pre-dialysis weights, post-dialysis blood pressures, and post-dialysis weights were documented later in the day rather than when obtained. When the resident returned from dialysis, the resident was placed in the main living room and no assessment had been completed upon return. The RN stated residents returning from dialysis should be assessed immediately upon return and confirmed she had not completed the resident’s vital signs and weights. The RN also stated staff sometimes chart vital signs at the end of the shift instead of at the time of completion. The DON and NP both stated accurate charting was expected, that vital signs and weights should be entered when collected, and that charted times should reflect the actual time of completion rather than the end of shift. The facility policy on charting and documentation stated the TAR shall record resident care procedures and/or treatments ordered by the physician that are performed and by whom they were performed.
Penalty
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