Failed to notify r/p of unwitnessed fall

[Newnurse333]

I've been at my current job a little over a month as an LVN NOC shift. My DON just called me and I'm freaking out right now. I endorsed to day shift about the fall and I that I hadn't called the family My DON said no am shift nurse wasn't aware. This was only my 2nd incident report Ive had to do.

I wish now I'd just stayed longer and did it myself. I wasn't fully aware how important this was since this family is known to threaten to call the state and always claims they weren't made aware of things when they actually were.

Residents mother came in for a visit the next day and was made aware then apparently. Looks really bad and feel terrible about it. Resident didn't have any injury from the fall out of bed. There has been this purplish looking mark on the top of his head that has been there for days prior at least. I didn't mark that on my s/p fall assessment so now it's being blamed on this fall because no one ever charted on it. DON says mother wants to make MD appt now.

Anyone have any advice? How bad is it for me? Could I get fired for this? Thank you in advance!

[BBP42]

I have worked all three shifts in LTC. When working nights, if I had a fall without serious injury and was asking day shift to notify the family, I did it in writing on the supervisor's report, as in "John Doe, unwitnessed fall from bed 315AM, MD notified, morning shift supervisor please call daughter to notify." I don't know if you have some form of written shift report you can do this with, but if so I would do it in the future. If not I would verbally let the DON know on my way out after notifying the day shift nurse so that they could follow up. I would not think you would get fired, but I don't know your employer.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

Your facility could get tagged for not 'notifying rp in a timely manner' so it's a big deal, but I wouldn't fire anyone over it.