Failure to assess and document injuries after falls and transfer-related events
Summary
The facility failed to assess and intervene for two residents with injuries. One resident with intact cognition, end stage renal disease, diabetes, and hypertension developed left ankle pain associated with a tibial fracture after a transfer event. The record showed the resident complained of left ankle pain and inability to stand on the leg during dialysis, and staff statements described the resident reporting that her leg was caught between staff members’ legs and her ankle twisted during a transfer. However, the facility’s progress notes from the days before the fracture did not document left ankle pain, a change in transfer status, or an assessment of the lower extremity, and the notes after the fracture did not include a pain assessment or circulation checks. Staff statements indicated the resident had complained of pain and difficulty bearing weight before the fracture was identified, but this was not documented in the nurse progress notes. A second resident with moderately impaired cognition, renal dialysis dependence, heart failure, and respiratory failure had a fall in the bathroom and later was found to have a right femur fracture. The incident documentation and health status notes described the resident losing footing, falling to the floor, and reporting right leg pain rated as high as 8 to 10. The resident was assisted back to bed, received Tylenol, and had vital signs and neurological checks documented as intact, but the notes did not include a range of motion assessment or documentation of an attempt to evaluate the injury further. The resident later went to dialysis and then to the emergency room, where an acute right femur fracture was identified. Interviews and additional records showed staff were aware of pain and changes in mobility, but the documentation did not reflect a complete assessment at the time of the fall or after the change in condition. For the resident with the ankle fracture, staff statements described complaints of pain and inability to bear weight during transfers before the fracture was confirmed. For the resident with the femur fracture, staff and dialysis records described severe pain, inability to bear weight, and a later hospital diagnosis of fracture, while the facility’s fall review attributed the event to weakness and recent infections. The facility policy required documentation of the resident’s current status related to the change in condition and charting each shift for 72 hours, but the records reviewed did not show those assessments for the injuries described.
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