Nursing home facilities require nurses to fill roles on their staff. These nurses are expected to adhere to licensure guidelines and practices. Sadly, this does not always occur.
In Massachusetts, state regulators are currently investigating instances where nurses falsified patient records and then lied to cover up their actions. The nurses who allegedly committed these acts were employed at a Wilmington nursing home.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has referred the case to the Board of Registration in Nursing, which has the power to strip nurses of their licensing.
The investigation into Woodbriar Health Center was closed by federal regulators last week, stating that the facility had submitted acceptable plans to correct significant health and safety problems related to the deaths of two patients. However, documents from the investigations reveal that the inspectors conducting the investigations doubted the veracity of nursing notes Woodbriar had submitted to the health department during the investigation.
The report stated that Woodbriar was “unable to provide documentation that a thorough clinical assessment” was completed after a woman fell out of bed in February. The resident was discovered to be deceased in her bed several hours later.
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Several documents were reviewed by the health department, including a medication report generated two days after the woman died. Inspectors additionally reviewed a hand-written “neurological assessment” report that allegedly contained doctor-ordered checks by the nurses of the patient every two hours after she fell out of bed.
When comparing the two signatures of nurses on that document to the signatures contained on employment applications and education records, the signatures did not match.
When interviewed, the two nurses accounts were conflicting and changed over the course of two days regarding the care the patient received after the fall.
None of the reports indicated the nurses being investigated by name.
If you believe that yourself or a loved one has suffered from abuse or neglect while in the care of a nursing facility, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the law offices of Schenk Smith. Our attorneys will help you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us today.
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