Failure to Maintain Resident Privacy During G-Tube Feeding and Foley Catheter Care
Summary
The facility failed to respect the dignity and privacy of two residents during care and treatment. One resident, who had diagnoses including schizophrenia, adult failure to thrive, and hypertension, was assessed as rarely understanding others and lacking capacity to understand and make decisions. During a G-tube bolus feeding, the resident’s privacy curtain was open from the foot of the bed, exposing the abdomen and incontinence brief while the LVN accessed the G-tube and administered the feeding. The ADON later entered the room and closed the curtain fully, and the LVN stated the curtain had not been provided before the procedure to ensure privacy. Facility staff and records confirmed that privacy was required during procedures. RN 1 stated privacy needed to be provided before starting any procedure and was important to maintain dignity and respect for residents’ bodies. The ADON and DON both reviewed the facility’s Resident Dignity and Personal Privacy policy and stated that the use of a privacy curtain during treatments or procedures was required, that G-tube bolus administration was considered a procedure, and that the resident should not have been exposed more than necessary. The DON stated the facility failed to provide privacy for the resident and that this had the potential to cause embarrassment and violation. A second resident, who had diagnoses including type 2 DM, functional quadriplegia, muscle weakness, UTI, acute pyelonephritis, cystitis, ESRD, and dependence on renal dialysis, had a foley catheter in place and was documented as unable to make needs known and unable to make medical decisions in one record, while other records noted the resident could make needs known and was alert and oriented x3. During observation, the resident’s foley catheter bag was seen without a privacy cover, and an LVN brought a privacy bag cover to the room. The LVN stated the facility needed to provide the privacy cover to protect the resident’s privacy. Another LVN stated he did not check whether the resident had a privacy cover after returning from an outside procedure, and RN 3 stated the resident needed the cover to protect dignity. The DON stated the facility did not follow its policy when it failed to use a privacy cover for the resident’s foley catheter bag.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Trusted data from CMS and state health departments
Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release October 8, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.
In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.
The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.