Healthcare Compliance Perspective:
Employees can only perform at the level of the equipment provided to them. Without proper equipment, such as seatbelts that accommodate for size differences, staff members in the following news article were only able to secure the resident’s wheelchair and not the resident. Compliance Officers must audit equipment regularly as well as maintain open, ongoing communication with staff members to ensure the appropriate equipment is available to provide high quality care.
A resident in a NY nursing home died after the van taking him to a hospital was involved in an accident. The resident’s wheelchair was securely fastened in the van, but the resident was not securely fastened to the wheelchair. Staff from the nursing home reported that the reason the man was not secured in his wheelchair was because they “did not have a belt that fit the man comfortably in the wheelchair.”
The van driver told police that he swerved suddenly to avoid hitting another car that pulled in front of the van. The unsecured resident was injured from the sudden movement that caused him to be flung from the wheelchair. The resident died soon after the accident from injuries that were not specifically identified. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed on the man to determine the exact cause of his death.
The police report that no charges have been filed, but the investigation is continuing.
The incident has stirred up concerns about the facility’s care competency because of the new owner’s purportedly “dubious track record” at its other facilities. Before it was purchased by the current owner in 2015, the facility had a four-star rating from the state; now, it has a one-star rating. The facility’s spokesperson attributed its current downturn in rating to the fact that starting this past August, it now accepts residents with more medical issues than those accepted by other facilities in the county.
