Failure to Implement Ordered Palm Protector for Contracture Management
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide ordered range of motion support for a resident with a left-hand contracture. The resident was admitted with multiple diagnoses including stroke, contractures, vascular dementia, hypertension, depression, and anxiety, and required staff assistance with ADLs while having intact cognition. Physician orders directed that a left-hand palm protector be applied each morning and removed at bedtime with skin integrity checks each shift, and that the resident tolerate a hand roll splint or palm protector nightly, with the left hand thoroughly washed and dried before and after use. The resident’s ADL functional status care plan also specified use of a palm protector to the left hand for contracture management. The Treatment Administration Record for the review period showed these orders as completed as written. However, multiple observations over several days showed the resident without a palm protector or hand roll splint in the left hand while in bed, in a wheelchair, and participating in activities. On each observed occasion, no palm protector was visible despite the active orders and documented completion on the TAR. In an interview, an RN confirmed that the resident did not have a palm protector in place and reported that the device could not be found in the room and had been missing for several days. This discrepancy between physician orders, care plan, documented implementation, and actual practice led to the cited deficiency for failure to maintain range of motion for a resident with contracture.
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