Failure to follow wound care and insulin notification orders
Summary
The facility failed to ensure treatment and care were provided in accordance with orders and professional standards for a resident with a skin tear and for a resident receiving sliding-scale insulin. One resident had hemiplegia and hemiparesis, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and severe cognitive impairment with dependence on staff for activities of daily living. He was observed multiple times with an undated dressing on his right forearm and was not wearing the ordered protective arm sleeves during the observations. His record showed a physician order for protective arm sleeves every shift, but there was no physician order for the wound dressing on the right forearm. A skin tear event note documented wound care and placement of a non-adhesive pad, but the dressing observed later was undated and the staff nurse stated the resident had not been wearing the sleeves for months because he would pull them off. A second resident with diabetes and no cognitive impairment had a physician order for Novolog U-100 insulin using a sliding scale, with instructions to call the MD when blood sugar was greater than 350. Review of the medication administration records showed five blood glucose results above 350, and the resident received 20 units of insulin for each result. However, there was no documented follow-up blood sugar check for any of the five elevated readings. There were also no nursing notes, nurse practitioner notes, or physician notes documenting that the physician or nurse practitioner was informed of the elevated blood sugar levels. During interviews, the DON confirmed the record lacked progress notes, physician notes, and nursing notes showing notification of the elevated blood sugars, and stated that critical results required direct and timely physician contact even if the physician was not present in the facility. A LPN stated that abnormal blood sugars were typically reported to the physician, followed by a recheck about 30 minutes later and documentation of the abnormal result and notification. The facility policy for blood glucose monitoring stated that the licensed nurse reviews results outside ordered parameters, evaluates the resident for signs and symptoms of hypo/hyperglycemia, notifies the physician per order, and documents physician notification and the resident’s response.
Penalty
Resources
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