HospitalInspections.org

Based on record review and interview, the hospital failed to provide a written notice of its results of the grievance investigation for one (Patient #12) of one grievance reviewed..

Findings:

Documents titled "Complaint Log 2017", "Complaint Log 2018" and "Complaint/Grievance Form" were reviewed. Patient #12 was identified as filing a written grievance on 12/25/17 regarding the attitude of a nurse and the care the nurse provided. An investigation was conducted and actions were taken but there was no written resolution of the grievance provided to the patient.

A hospital policy titled, "Complaint and Grievance Process" states that a patient grievance is a written or verbal complaint about patient care that was not resolved at the time of complaint by staff present and that grievances should be resolved within 7 working days.

On 02/27/18 at 11:00 am, Staff D stated she/he did not write a letter because she/he talked to the patient prior to discharge and had treated the grievance as a complaint.

Based on observation and staff interview, the hospital failed to maintain patient rights to dignity and comfort during emergency room procedures.

Findings:

On 02/23/18 the surveyors were escorted to an employee break room. At the opposite end of the employee break room, was the hospital's emergency room. The emergency room, including all equipment and paper documents, and was in total view of any persons in the employee break room. There was no division between the emergency room and the employee break room.

On 02/23/18 at 10:30 am, Staff D, J and K stated the process was to clear the employee break room when an emergency room patient came into the facility. Staff J stated their last emergency room patient was an employee with chest pain in 2016. All stated they agreed that there was no privacy provided to an emergency room patient.

Based on observation and interview, the hospital failed to protect patient confidentiality by leaving a clipboard with patients' names, date of birth, and treatment plans, in the public hallway.

FINDINGS:

On 02/23/18, a clipboard was observed on the hand railing in the public hallway outside a patient's room. The clipboard contained papers that included the patient sticker which showed the patients' names and dates of birth; the papers also included the respiratory treatment plan.

On 02/23/18 at 11:23 am, Staff K removed the clipboard to a secure location and stated this was typically kept at the nurse's station away from public access.