F0684

D

Failure to Follow Physician Wound Care Orders for Post-Surgical Hand Wound

Florissant, Missouri Survey Completed on 02-24-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to follow physician orders and its own policies for wound management and treatment administration for a resident with complex arterial and post-surgical wounds of the left hand. The facility’s Physician Order Policy required that physician orders be clearly documented, transcribed to the MAR/TAR, and implemented in accordance with professional standards and regulations. The Wound Management Policy required that wound treatment be provided per physician orders, including cleaning method, dressing type, and frequency of dressing changes. Despite these policies, multiple wound care orders for the resident’s left hand and fingers were not documented as completed on numerous ordered days.

The resident had significant medical conditions including absence of a left finger, stroke, cognitive communication deficit, atrial fibrillation, kidney disease, muscle weakness, and an arterial wound on the left hand fingers 2–5. Hospital discharge paperwork documented left ring finger dry gangrene related to chronic digital ischemia and emphasized the importance of hand hygiene before and after bandage changes. The care plan identified an arterial wound on the left hand fingers 2–5, with goals to prevent infection or complications and interventions including monitoring for infection and weekly wound documentation. Wound physician evaluations and management summaries documented a post-surgical wound of the left fourth finger amputation with varying measurements and drainage characteristics over time, and detailed treatment plans specifying cleansing agents, primary and secondary dressings, and frequencies.

Review of the TAR and MAR showed repeated failures to document completion of ordered wound care. An order for Xeroform Petrolate to the left hand between fingers once daily had no documented completion for all 11 opportunities in October. In November, an order for Xeroform Petrolate patch once daily showed 13 of 13 missed documentation opportunities; a subsequent detailed wound care order for the left fourth finger amputation showed 3 of 3 missed opportunities; and another Xeroform order for the left ring finger showed 4 of 11 missed opportunities. In January, an order for wound care to the left 2nd through 5th fingers was not documented as completed on two ordered days, and a later order including betadine and collagen powder was not documented as completed on 4 of 10 opportunities. In February, there were no wound care orders or documentation for several days after the resident returned from hospital leave, and a new order for daily wound care to the left index, middle, and ring fingers was not documented as completed on 8 of 10 opportunities. During observation, the wound dressing on the resident’s left hand lacked date, time, and initials from the prior change, and the resident’s fingernails were long and curled into the palm. Interviews with the wound nurse, wound specialist, and ADON confirmed that treatments not being done as ordered post-surgically could cause harm to the wound, that the wound specialist had been removed from the case while the surgeon directed care, and that facility expectations were for wound treatments to be completed every shift with appropriate documentation and progress notes, which did not occur in this case.

Additional wound physician management summaries documented changes in the wound’s size and condition over time, including improvement at one point and later deterioration with necrotic tissue and an exacerbation attributed to arterial issues. The wound size increased significantly across assessments, and the resident was scheduled for additional left hand surgery. The wound specialist stated that she was not involved in the case during a period when the surgeon was directing care and that she was only re-consulted shortly before the resident experienced a complication and returned to the hospital. Throughout this period, the facility’s documentation showed multiple missed or undocumented wound care treatments despite detailed physician orders and care plan interventions, and the dressing observed during survey lacked required labeling to indicate when it had last been changed.

Interviews with nursing leadership clarified the facility’s expectations that wound treatments be completed every shift, refusals be reported to the medical director and oncoming nurse, and progress notes be entered into the electronic medical record regarding wound dressings. However, the record review for this resident showed repeated gaps in documentation of ordered wound care across several months, including periods immediately following hospitalizations and surgical interventions. The combination of detailed wound care orders, the resident’s complex arterial and post-surgical wound status, and the absence of documented completion of those orders formed the basis of the deficiency for failure to provide treatment and care according to physician orders, resident preferences, and goals.