F0684

G

Failure to Document and Communicate Unwitnessed Fall Resulting in Delayed Assessment of Hip Fracture

Saint Charles, Illinois Survey Completed on 03-21-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to document, report, and monitor an unwitnessed fall for a severely cognitively impaired resident, which led to delayed medical care for a right hip fracture. On the evening of 3/01/2026, a CNA found the resident on the floor next to her bed in a sitting position and notified the assigned RN. The RN assessed the resident, determined she had no apparent injury, and assisted the CNA in manually lifting the resident back to bed by carrying her under the arms. The RN did not document the fall in the electronic medical record (EMR), did not notify the physician, and did not inform the oncoming nursing staff of the incident. A fall incident report was completed separately, indicating an unwitnessed fall and transfer back to bed, but it was marked as privileged and not part of the clinical record, and it was not integrated into the EMR.

Because the fall was not documented in the EMR or communicated in shift report, the night-shift agency RN and CNA were unaware of the incident and did not perform any post-fall assessments or enhanced monitoring. The night CNA was instructed that the resident required only minimal assistance with transfers and proceeded to pivot-transfer her for toileting, without knowledge of a recent fall. Staff who routinely cared for the resident reported that prior to 3/02/2026 she required minimal to partial assistance with transfers. Early on 3/02/2026, a CNA assisting with dressing noted the resident vocalizing acute right leg pain, stopped care, and consulted the agency RN, who had just administered an analgesic. When the CNA asked if there had been a recent incident such as a fall, the agency RN reported there was no such event documented or reported in the EMR, and the CNA proceeded with transfers using a gait belt, observing that the resident now required extensive assistance, guarded her right lower leg, and was unable to bear weight.

Throughout 3/02/2026, multiple staff members encountered the resident’s acute right leg and hip pain without knowledge of the prior unwitnessed fall. The CNA transporting the resident to dialysis reported the pain to the dialysis RN, who in turn notified the day-shift RN but was not informed of any recent incident. The dialysis communication form requested information on any change in condition, including recent falls, but no fall was reported. During therapy, the OT was not notified of any recent incident and documented that the resident screamed and held her right lower extremity when it was moved and was unable to safely stand. The day-shift RN, who had not been told of the fall and saw no EMR documentation of it, did not perform post-fall assessments and later reported the resident’s right hip pain to the physician, obtaining an order for a routine, rather than STAT, x-ray. The facility’s fall coordinator confirmed that there was no EMR documentation or 72-hour post-fall assessments for the unwitnessed fall, despite facility policy requiring incident reports to be documented in the medical record and accessible to staff, and requiring post-fall assessments and neurological checks for unwitnessed falls.