HospitalInspections.org

Based on a tour of the Emergency Department (ED), document review and staff interviews it was revealed the facility failed to ensure nursing staff followed their policy for crash cart monitoring. This failure was identified for the crash cart located in the trauma room of the ED. This failure has the potential to adversely affect any patient who presents to the facility due to a trauma.

Findings include:

A tour of the ED was conducted on 1/18/22 at 11:35 a.m. The Nurse Manager (NM) of the ED accompanied the surveyor on the tour. The ED currently has seven (7) beds, no boarders were present in the ED. Current staff includes four (4) Registered Nurses (RNs). The ED NM stated at least two (2) RNs are staffed in the ED at night. A review of the trauma room "Daily Crash Cart Check Sheet" for December 2021 and January 2022 revealed the crash cart was not checked on 12/15/21, 12/21/21, 12/23/21, 12/24/21, 12/29/21, 12/30/21, 1/7/22, 1/12/22 and 1/13/22.

A review of the policy titled "Crash Carts," reviewed 3/21, stated in part: "Crash cart defibrillators are checked...once per shift in the emergency department.

An interview was conducted with the ED NM on 1/18/21 at 12:20 p.m. The ED NM stated it is the expectation that the crash cart is checked daily. The ED NM concurred the staff were not following the policy.