Failure to Utilize Video Remote Interpreting for Deaf Resident
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency related to the facility’s failure to utilize Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services for a deaf resident with communication-sensory impairment. A sign outside the resident’s room indicated the resident was deaf, and a VRI tablet was present in the room. Multiple staff members, including two geriatric nurse assistants and an LPN, reported that they communicated with the resident primarily through written communication, facial expressions, and gestures. The resident stated that written communication was not their preferred method of communication and reported that staff rarely used the VRI tablet. Further observations and interviews showed that staff were not effectively using the VRI system despite the facility’s expectation that it be used throughout the day during care for this resident. When the surveyor asked a geriatric nurse assistant and an LPN to obtain an interpreter through the VRI system, both were unable to do so because they did not know how to use it. The DON confirmed that the expectation was for staff to use the VRI system for this resident, and the Assistant DON acknowledged understanding of the concern when it was presented. These findings demonstrate that the resident’s preferred communication method via VRI was not being implemented in practice.
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