Health alarm raised about two state-operated veterans homes
January 25, 2010
Inspectors saw patients screaming, biting and kicking as four attendants held them down for bathing or treatment. Often, the inspectors found, patients received improper doses of powerful psychotropic drugs to avert bedlam. And when a staff member reported concerns about physical abuse of a resident, inspectors determined no one investigated.
"The administrator and director of nursing were not fulfilling their essential job duties to ensure the safety and proper health care services for residents," the inspectors concluded in a 37-page report.
Experts the Tribune-Review interviewed say the use of drugs is not the first-line treatment for dementia patients with behavioral problems. What's more, state law mandates that hospital administrators investigate reports of suspected abuse.
At Hollidaysburg, inspectors found the home out of compliance on three occasions in 2009. As a result, the home's license was placed on a provisional or probationary status from February to June.
The violations of state and federal rules included failure to notify physicians and family members about changes in patients' conditions; unsanitary incontinence care; and overuse of side rails, which caused patients to become trapped and suffer injuries.
Medication worries
In one inspection, health surveyors detailed an alarming situation in the 77-bed dementia unit.
According to the report, a nurse's aide "indicated the psychiatrist told her that he was very concerned with the staff working on the East II unit, as the unit had more incidents and requests for medicine in the last year than previously. There was no evidence the facility investigated the additional concerns in this statement."
Abridged
SOURCE: The Pittsburgh Live
_______________________________________
Click for Updates, More Cases and Resources
Search Right Col/Labels for More Posts/Resources
No comments:
Post a Comment