Staff Cell Phone Use in Resident Care Areas and Failure to Answer Nurses' Station Phone
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to follow its employee handbook policy prohibiting personal cell phone use while on duty, resulting in staff using personal phones in resident care areas and ignoring the nurses' station phone. On the second-floor north nurses' station, a surveyor observed a central supply manager/transportation staff member talking on her personal cell phone while the nurses' station phone rang audibly nearby, and she did not initially answer it. At the same time, a restorative CNA was seated at the nurses' station, looking down and texting on his personal cell phone, also ignoring the ringing nurses' station phone and not looking up from his device. When they noticed the surveyor, both staff members stopped using their phones, and the central supply manager then answered the nurses' station phone. The central supply manager stated she did not hear the nurses' station phone because she was on her personal call, and the restorative CNA stated he did not hear the phone because he was texting and that, although everyone is responsible for answering the nurses' station phone, he typically does not answer it because calls are usually for the nurses. The census documented 57 residents residing on the second-floor north unit. On another unit (3N), a CNA was observed sitting in the hallway with her personal cell phone in her hands, scrolling on the phone while she was supposed to be monitoring the hallway for resident safety. This CNA stated she is not supposed to be on her personal phone when monitoring the hallway, acknowledging that if she is on the phone, she might not properly monitor residents, which can lead to residents not receiving needed care, sustaining injuries, or getting into confrontations. She reported she is assigned 20 residents and that 3N houses 58 residents in total, and that staff using personal phones while in the units is not part of her job description. The facility’s employee handbook states that cell phone usage while on duty is prohibited, that personal devices may only be used in designated areas while on break, and that employees who use personal devices while on duty may be subject to disciplinary action. The DON confirmed that CNAs and nurses are not supposed to use their cell phones on the units, that phones are only allowed in the break room when staff are on break, and that cell phone use in the units is distracting, can cause HIPAA violations, is unprofessional, and prevents CNAs and nurses from providing proper care to residents, which can lead to accidents and injuries.
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