Resident Exposed During Transport to Shower, Violating Dignity and Privacy
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves a failure to maintain a resident’s dignity and bodily privacy during transport to the shower. A surveyor observed a certified nursing assistant (CNA-C) wheeling Resident 7 down the South hallway, past the main entrance, and halfway down the North hallway to the shower room while the resident was seated in a shower chair wearing a hospital gown with the left hip and side of the buttocks exposed. The facility’s undated “Dignity” policy states that each resident shall be cared for in a manner that promotes well-being, self-worth, and self-esteem, and that staff must promote, maintain, and protect resident privacy, including bodily privacy during personal care and treatment procedures. Resident 7 had been admitted with diagnoses including congestive heart failure, lymphedema, morbid obesity, peripheral vascular disease, and a history of falls, and had a BIMS score of 14 indicating intact cognition. The resident’s care plan documented needs for partial to moderate assistance with bathing and showering, and supervision or assistance with ambulation, transfers, and dressing. After the observed incident, the resident reported being unhappy that her skin was exposed while being wheeled through the hallways to the shower and stated she did not know her skin was exposed and that she was not an exhibitionist. The nursing home administrator and DON were notified of these dignity concerns and acknowledged them.
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