Finding Description
**NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** 3. Review of the EMR admission MDS with an ARD of 07/11/24 revealed R57 was admitted to the facility on [DATE] with multiple diagnoses which included dementia and a cervical (neck) fracture. Further review of this MDS revealed R57 was totally dependent on staff for all Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) except for eating and scored three out of 15 on the BIMS indicating R57 was severely impaired cognitively.
Observation on 08/27/24 at 10:10 AM revealed Activity Aide (AA) 1 wheeling R57 in his/her wheelchair down the hall and out the front door of the facility. There were no leg rests on the wheelchair and R57 was holding his/her legs up off the floor. Review of the facility floor plan and the lengths of the hallways, provided by the Maintenance Director (MD), revealed AA1 wheeled R57 down the 400 hall into and through the 300 hall and through the main lobby and out the front door for more than 200 feet.
During an interview on 08/27/24 at 10:15 AM, AA1 verified that she had received training to use leg rests when wheeling residents regardless if the resident was able to self-propel with their feet. AA1 verified that she had wheeled R57 without using leg rests requiring R57 to keep her legs elevated during transport.
During an interview on 08/27/24 at 10:15 AM, the Infection Control Nurse/Staff Development (ICN/SD) verified the observation and that the staff had been trained to use leg rests for all residents during transport in a wheelchair.
During an interview on 08/28/24 10:07 AM, the Director of Rehabilitation (DOR) stated that all residents were provided leg rests, and all residents should have leg rests on their wheelchairs unless the resident was self-propelling the wheelchair. The DOR stated that the rehabilitation staff evaluated the residents for their ability to self-propel the wheelchair with their feet. The DOR stated R57 had been evaluated and was appropriate to self-propel their wheelchair with her feet. The DOR stated that the facility policy was that anytime a staff member was pushing a resident in a wheelchair there were to be leg rests for the resident to rest their feet instead of having to keep them elevated off the floor. The DOR stated that sometimes residents would ask staff to push them once the resident was self-propelling. The DOR stated that staff should return to the resident's room and retrieve the leg rests before pushing the resident. The DOR stated that the leg rests were stored in the resident's room usually in the closet or a drawer.
During an observation on 08/28/24 at 11:00 AM, RN1 verified there were no leg rests in R57's room.
During an interview on 08/28/24 at 11:38 AM, the Medical Director verified that the facility's policy was for leg rests to be used when pushing a resident in a wheelchair.
During an interview on 08/29/24 at 11:59 AM, the Attending Physician for all the residents in the facility verified that leg rests were to be used when wheeling a resident in the event the resident lowers their legs and [the leg] would get caught and injured.
Surveyor: [NAME], [NAME]
Based on a review of a facility reported incident, medical record review, facility documentation review, observation and staff interviews, it was determined the facility failed to keep a dependent resident free from injury while transporting to activities in a wheelchair, which resulted in actual harm to Resident (R) #28. The failure of facility staff to place leg rests on a wheelchair while transporting a resident resulted in a fracture in the lower leg. This was evident for 1 of 30 sampled residents. The facility failed to ensure a resident was free from accident hazards by not identifying new fall interventions for one of three residents (R51) reviewed for falls resulting in a head laceration and pubic fracture. The facility failed to provide leg rests for the residents identified as requiring leg rests for injury prevention for one of one residents (R57) reviewed for wheelchair safety of 30 sampled residents.
The findings include:
1. On 8/26/24 at 2:22 PM facility reported incident MD00194543 was reviewed and revealed Resident #28 sustained an injury while being transported during activities. The facility documented in their report that Resident #28, who was non-ambulatory, was being transferred to an activity via a wheelchair by an activity's aide. Resident #28 was holding his/her legs up when they became too heavy for him/her to hold up. Resident #28 dropped his/her legs to the ground, and they were caught up in the wheelchair per the aide. Resident #28 yelled out and the aide pulled the wheelchair backwards and asked the resident what was wrong. Resident #28 stated that, [his/her] knee hurt. The wheelchair did not have leg rests on the wheelchair.
On 8/26/24 at 2:22 PM AM a review of Resident #28's medical record was conducted and revealed Resident #28 was admitted to the facility in March 2023 with diagnoses that included unspecified dementia, age-related osteoporosis, and a history of a right tibial fracture in 2021.
Review of a 7/17/23 nurse's note documented, patient was brought to the nurse ' s station at approximately 1515 (3:15 PM) with an injury to [his/her] RLE (right lower extremity) and right knee. Area is red and beginning to swell. Patient is complaining of 8/10 RLE pain. Stat (immediate) x-rays to RLE were ordered.
Review of a 7/17/23 nurse's note documented, portable x-ray was completed at right extremity, noted to be positive tibia fx. (fracture). The physician ordered for Resident #28 to be sent to the emergency room. At 8:30 PM Resident #28 was sent to the emergency room via 911. The note documented that the resident was in extreme pain and had been given medication with no relief.
Review of the 7/17/23 Orthopedic Surgery Consult performed at the hospital on 7/17/23 at 10:52 PM documented, PMH (past medical history) significant for dementia and conservatively managed right proximal tibia fracture in July 2021, nursing home resident, primarily wheelchair dependent who presents for evaluation of right lower leg pain after apparent twisting incident in wheelchair at NH (Nursing Home). Mild swelling proximal lower leg with hematoma. No breaks in skin. Obvious pain with any passive motion of right knee. CT right lower leg without contrast: findings: comminuted fracture of the proximal tibia with displacement and diffuse osteopenia. There is osteoarthritis with osteophytes and narrowing of the knee compartments. Proximal tibia fracture with mild displacement.
An X-ray of the right lower leg due to leg pain, right leg pain had the results, Osteopenia (low
bone loss) and fractures of the proximal tibia with osteoarthritis (Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, in which the tissues in the joint break down over time). The conclusion was, Acute appearing proximal tibia fracture.
The plan from the physician at the hospital stated, recommend conservative management of above injury. Appears [he/she] re-fractured area of proximal tibia which is not entirely surprising given advanced osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases, or when the structure and strength of bone changes. This can lead to a decrease in bone strength that can increase the risk of fractures (broken bones).
Review of Activity Aide #1' s written statement documented, I was taking resident outside for an outdoor stroll when [he/she] hollered in pain. I stopped, looked down, noticed [his/her] legs gave out and went under wheelchair. I then backed up wheelchair. [He/she] then told me that [his/her] right knee hurt a lot. I then went inside to retrieve [his/her] leg rests, since [he/she] did not have any leg rests on wheelchair. Once leg rests were on, I took [him/her] straight to the nurse.
On 8/26/24 at 3:05 PM an interview was conducted with the Director of Physical Therapy (DPT). The DPT was asked who was responsible for the maintenance or determination of leg rests for residents in wheelchairs. The DPT stated, If a resident is referred to rehab or noticed by us, we would do an assessment. Everyone gets leg rests unless they self-propel. It would go to nursing and be care planned.
On 8/26/24 at 3:10 PM an interview was conducted with the Activities Director (AD) who stated Activity Aide #1 no longer worked at the facility. The AD stated the incident with Resident #28 and the wheelchair was an isolated incident. The AD stated that some residents can hold their feet up and let you know when they are tired. The AD stated the activity ' s aide was taking the resident outside. They were on the front sidewalk heading to the patio. I think the resident got tired of holding [his/her] feet up and just let them down. The feet went under the wheelchair.
On 8/26/24 at 3:22 PM and 8/27/24 at 10:19 AM calls were placed to Activity Aide #1 with no answer. As of 8/29/24 at 4:45 PM the aide failed to return the surveyor's call.
Continued review of the facility's investigation revealed a Clinical Huddle Review dated 7/21/23 that documented 10 items for discussion during the review. The last item on the huddle was, recent leg injury related to non-use of leg rests. New protocol being implemented next week. There were 23 signatures of staff that attended.
The MDS (Minimum Data Set) is part of the Resident Assessment Instrument that was Federally
mandated in legislation passed in 1986. The MDS is a set of assessment screening items employed as part of a standardized, reproducible, and comprehensive assessment process that ensures each resident #39's individual needs are identified, that care is planned based on those individualized needs, and that the care is provided as planned to meet the needs of each resident.
Review of Resident #28's quarterly MDS with an assessment reference date of 5/11/23 documented Resident #28 was extensive assistance with 2 people for locomotion on and off the unit and total dependence with 2 people off the unit.
A care plan is a guide that addresses the unique needs of each resident. It is used to plan, assess, and evaluate the effectiveness of the Resident #28's care.
Review of Resident #28's at risk for falls care plan related to gait/balance problems, psychoactive drug use, and unaware of safety needs, had 6 interventions; anticipate and meet the resident's needs. Be sure the resident's call light is within reach for assistance as needed. The resident needs prompt response to all requests for assistance. Encourage the resident to participate in activities that promote exercise, physical activity for strengthening, and improved mobility. Ensure that the the resident is wearing appropriate footwear when ambulating or mobilizing in a wheelchair. Review information on past falls and attempt to determine cause of falls. Record possible root causes.
Educate resident/family/caregivers/IDT as to causes and the resident needs a safe environment.
The interventions on the care plan were not resident centered for Resident #28 and the care plan was not updated after the incident to reflect the use of wheelchair leg rests.
On 8/27/24 at 1:25 PM an interview was conducted with the Director of Nursing (DON) who stated, that day [he/she] was holding [his/her] legs up and then let them down. It was an activity assistant. Typically, [he/she] is taken out of the room to another area. That day [he/she] was taken outside and maybe it was too far.
The DON and the surveyor went out the front door where the incident occurred. There was a silver transition strip approximately 5 inches wide where the sliding glass doors automatically open and close. Resident #28 was pushed over the transition strip onto a piece of brown outdoor rug that was sitting on top of the concrete. The DON stated it happened there and not at the point where the sidewalk slopes mildly downhill toward the sitting area where residents can sit by the trees.
On 8/27/24 at 4:05 PM the Nursing Home Administrator (NHA) gave the surveyor a copy of the Resident transport while in facility or on Campus from the Nursing Procedure Manual. Procedure number 3 documented, all residents will be evaluated by the Rehabilitation Team to determine the safest mode of transportation to be used within the facility. Number 4 stated, all residents that require a wheelchair as their safest mode of transport will be further evaluated by the team to determine the need for foot pedals/leg rests during transport.
On 8/29/24 at 12:00 PM an interview was conducted with the resident's attending physician. When asked about the leg rests the physician stated, the resident probably should have had leg rests on the wheelchair since [he/she] was going a distance and outside. The resident's legs may get tired so the leg rests should be on the chair.
2. Review of a facility policy titled, Resident transport while in facility or on Campus, revision date July 2023, revealed, Objective: To ensure the safe transportation of a resident within the facility. To determine the least restrictive and safest mobility transport for the resident. To promote the highest level of independence for the resident with regards to mobility when out of bed .Wheelchairs, and leg rests . All wheelchairs will have matching leg rests/foot pedals labeled . The residents that are required to have foot pedals/leg rests on their wheelchair
when they are in it, will have a sign designating this placed at the head of their bed.
Review of R51's Face Sheet, located in the Profile tab of the electronic medical record (EMR) revealed admission to the facility on [DATE] with diagnoses including difficulty in walking, muscle weakness, repeated fall, and dementia.
Review of R51's quarterly Minimum Data Set (MDS) with an Assessment Reference Date (ARD) of 07/12/24 revealed the facility assessed the resident to have a Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) score of 99 out of 15 which indicated the resident was severely cognitively impaired.
Review of R51's care plan located under the Care Plan tab of the EMR and dated 02/01/23, revealed The resident was at risk for falls related to gait and balance issues and poor safety awareness. Interventions in place were anticipate and meet resident's needs, be sure the residents call light was within reach and encourage resident to use it, educate the resident and family about safety reminders and what to do when a fall occurred, ensure the resident was wearing appropriate footwear, follow facility protocol, and the resident needs a safe environment. Further review revealed no updated fall interventions since it was implemented on 02/01/23.
a. Review of a Nurse's Note located in the EMR under the ''Notes'' tab, written by Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) 1 on 03/09/24 at 10:47 AM, revealed GNA [Geriatric Nurse Aide] reported to nurses' station that resident was noted on floor. The resident was last seen in her wheelchair 2 minutes before falling. Injury noted to left side of her face with large amount of bleeding coming from the site. Resident was not removed from the floor until EMTs arrived, but a nurse was applying pressure to stop the bleeding. 911 was called immediately, resident daughter and physician were notified.
Review of Incident report, provided by the facility and dated 03/09/24 at 10:35 AM, revealed staff notified nurse that resident was on the floor bleeding. When the nurse arrived at resident's room resident was lying on right side of face and large amount of bleeding, called 911, resident's daughter and physician. No additional interventions were added to the care plan.
Review of a Nurse's Note located in the EMR under the ''Notes'' tab, written by Registered Nurse (RN) 5 on 03/14/24 at 11:28 PM, revealed Resident returned via transport without incident. Resident returned with head Injury from fall left with a laceration to the left side of scalp and one stitch to repair laceration.
b. Review of a Nurse's Note located in the EMR under the ''Notes'' tab, written by Registered Nurse (RN) 5 on 03/14/24 at 11:28 PM, revealed Called to resident's room by attending GNA at approximately 6:45pm. Found resident flat on their back and laying under the bedside table. Resident states they tried to put themselves to bed. Passive range of motion done to all extremities; no pain noted at this time. No marks noted either. Resident was calm and denied any pain. Lifted with staff assistance to bed.
Review of Incident report, provided by the facility and dated 03/14/24 at 6:45 PM, revealed called to residents room, resident lying flat on back under the bedside table, states they were trying to transfer from wheelchair to bed. No additional interventions were added to the care plan.
c. Review of a Nurse's Note, located in the EMR under the ''Notes'' tab, written by LPN2 on 03/17/24 at 6:54 AM, revealed, Approximately 2:15 AM while during rounds resident was noted sitting in an upright position on his/her bedside mat wrapped up in her blankets. When asked, the resident what happened they stated, I rolled to get up to go cook breakfast and this is where I landed. Full head to toe assessment with ROM complete. No injuries noted. Resident is Alert and pleasantly confused. Neuro assessment sheet started. The physician assistant and daughter made aware.
Review of Incident report, provided by the facility and dated 03/17/24 at 2:15 AM, revealed, resident found lying on bedside mat during hourly rounds. Resident stated they was getting up to cook. No injury noted, range of motion completed. The physician assistant and daughter made aware. No additional interventions were added to the care plan.
d. Review of a Nurse's Note located in the EMR under the ''Notes'' tab, written by RN2 on 03/27/24 at 9:41 PM, revealed Resident found sitting on floor mat at the bedside with back against the bed. Resident was assessed no injuries or open areas noted. Resident assisted in the bed with two assists. Resident was turned on their left side with pillow placed behind back to offload his/her bottom. Residents' daughter called and made aware. The physician has been notified.
Review of Incident report, provided by the facility and dated 03/27/24 at 9:30 PM, revealed, resident found sitting on bottom on floor mat by staff, no injuries noted. Resident was assisted back into bed by staff. No additional interventions were added to the care plan.
e. Review of a Nurse's Note, located in the EMR under the ''Notes'' tab, written by LPN1 on 06/08/24 at 10:21 PM, revealed 6:30 PM called to resident's room, resident noted to be lying on left side between wheelchair and cooling unit, small amount of blood noted at forehead, initially resident denied pain and was independently moving all extremities, resident was lifted from lying position to bed and then began complaining of pain at both hip and my groin, daughter notified and requested that resident be sent to emergency room, physician notified.
Review of Incident report, provided by the facility and dated 06/08/24 at 6:30 PM, revealed, see progress note. No additional interventions were added to the care plan.
Review of a Nurse's Note located in the EMR under the ''Notes'' tab, written by LPN1 on 06/08/24 at 10:28 PM revealed, called received from hospice nurse who was notified of emergency room visit. Resident does have pubic fracture.
During an interview on 08/28/24 at 12:04 PM, GNA3 stated staff had access to the Kardex and could see interventions there. She said if there was an intervention on the care plan that was not on the Kardex they may be informed by staff. She said R51 was a high fall risk, and that staff tried to keep her up at the nurse's station. She also said there was a mirror in the room that helped staff to see if he/she was trying to get up when they were walking in the room. She said R51 did not like her brief wet and the resident would get up and try to go to the bathroom. She said the mirror was recently put in the resident's room but there was no additional supervision or toileting for R51 by staff. She said she was unable to remember the fall R51 had on 03/09/24 but knew R51 had a few falls. She said there were no huddles or discussion with GNA staff about falls, or patterns or identifying new interventions, but stated the staff that find the resident after they have fallen must write a statement.
During an interview on 08/28/24 at 12:29 PM, GNA2 said interventions were posted up in the resident's room and when there were changes that would be verbally communicated during shift-to-shift report. R51 had a weighted blanket on resident's lap when she was in the wheelchair, and she had a low bed and floor mats. She said she would lay the weighted blanket on him/her at times when he/and would get up the minute he/she wanted to. R51 would not know what to do with the call light due to her impaired cognition. She said she had not experienced staff including GNA's about falls discussion/interventions or fall investigation.
During an interview on 08/28/24 at 1:21 PM, RN1 said R51 had floor mats and a low bed in place for fall preventions and when the resident was in their wheelchair staff kept an eye on them. He/She said staff would peek in on them every couple of hours due to he/she being a high fall risk. She did not remember the fall that occurred on 03/27/24 but she said there was no discussion after the fall about new interventions. But she said R52 had poor safety awareness and would call out for various people or things, frequently took their legs out of the bed, moved a lot in the bed, and would slide out of the bed onto the mat. But she was unaware of any new interventions implemented after the fall on 03/27/24.
During an interview on 08/28/24 at 3:16 PM, LPN1 said staff tried to keep R51 in line of vision when they was out of the room, and there was a mirror (placed after the fall on 06/08/24) and there was a sitter provided by the family. Staff would check on them every two hours. She said R51 would not know how to use the call light, and he/she would get up when he/she wanted to get up. On 06/08/24 she was called to R51 room by a GNA (unsure who) and she found R51 on the floor on their side and there was blood, and it appeared R51 had hit her head on the ac [air conditioning] unit. She said at that time R51 denied pian, and their range of motion was fine, and there were no visual signs of pain. Staff lifted him/her from her lying position, and at that time R51 started complaining of pain in their groin. She stated R51 did not have a low bed at the time and that they had a regular hospital bed. She said she would have documented if there was a mat was on the floor at the time of the fall and she did not. Unsure about new fall interventions.
During an interview on 08/28/24 at 3:39 PM, RN5 stated she was also the 3:00 PM-11:00 PM supervisor. She said R51's family provided a sitter that came in between 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and stayed until after dinner or until bedtime sometimes. She stated staff also checked on her frequently and would peek into the room when they passed by.
During an interview on 08/29/24 at 11:01 AM the MDS Coordinator (MDS) said they have identified an issue that identified interventions were not making it onto the care plan, but they were unsure why. She said that after a new intervention was identified that was communicated to staff during shift to shift, but she said it would be a problem for any new staff or staff not working that day because they would have no idea about the new intervention in place if it was not actually listed on the care plan. She said staff were trying to keep R51 out of their room in the wheelchair and involved with activities. She said there should have been new interventions identified after each fall. She was unsure why she never caught that there have not been any new fall interventions implemented since 2023 when she reviewed the care plans quarterly. She reviewed all the falls Incident reports and stated she was not aware of any new interventions that were implemented after each fall. She said was aware R51 was a fall risk and had falls with injuries.
During an interview on 08/29/24 at 12:05 PM, the attending physician stated he was aware that R51 has had falls, but he couldn't remember the falls specifically. He said he was sure there was some discussion about the falls, and he would have expected the facility to have identified new interventions after the falls occurred to try and prevent the injuries that occurred.
During an interview on 08/29/24 at 12:37 PM, the Director of Nursing (DON) stated there was lot of discussion about new fall interventions for R51 after their falls, but she said there was no documentation about those discussions. She said staff were supposed to check in on the R51 frequently but that was only verbally communicated to staff and there was no documentation of that. And she was unable to say for sure that all staff were made aware of this. But she agreed that if it was put on the care plan all staff would be aware and that would be best practice. She said the facility did need to do better with their documentation and she admitted that when she looked at the care plan after a fall, she was just looking that the date of the fall was listed on it. She said even though she reviewed the care plan after each fall she never realized that there had not been an update since February 2023.