Colleague reported to board

Nurses General Nursing

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0I am somewhat concerned about an issue at work. Employed by a home health agency, I am an RN that saw a client 3 weeks prior to another nurse seeing the same patient and discovering multiple pressure ulcers. The nurse simply reported the ulcerations and did not follow up with treatment. Needless to say, a nurse saw the same client a week later and the clients ulcerations were severely declined and he required hospitalization. Our employer investigated the situation and concluded that the nurse that found the ulcerations did not act appropriately. She was fired and reported to the board...... neither myself or any other nurse were listed in the complaint. However, i am concerned that I may come under scrutiny. My documentation states that he had no open wounds. However, I was not necessarily strong in my explanation. Kinda concerns me..... any insight helps.

Thanks!

However, I was not necessarily strong in my explanation.

What does that mean? Elaborate?

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Did the patient have wounds when you saw them, or didn't they? Did

you do a full skin check? As a home health nurse, or really any type

of nurse, you can get severely burned by not doing full skin checks with

assessment.

If the patient did not have the wounds when you first saw him, there

was simply nothing for you to document. However, if you find

yourself seeing an immobile client, with or without wounds, it is a

good idea to document that there is someone in the home who

is performing regular skin care and repositioning the patient.

Also document your teaching!

I hope, for your sake, that you did all of those things and/or

the patient had no wounds when you first saw him.

Of course I checked his skin. I mentioned that he had no wounds in my documentation.

Specializes in ICU.
Of course I checked his skin. I mentioned that he had no wounds in my documentation.

Ok, so then I fail to see the problem here. The patient had no wounds, developed them after you last saw him. The next nurse failed to adequately treat the wounds per treatment plan. Nothing to do with you here.

And I looked back on the note today. The note is clear that they had no wounds and I taught on PU control

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