Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Wilkes Barre Hospital Understaffed?


By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A specialty hospital in Wilkes Barre "showed a systemic nature of non-compliance with nursing services," according to a report from the Pennsylvania Health Department.
The highly critical report, the result of three recent visits to the PAM (Post Acute Medical) Specialty Hospital, cited multiple deficiencies in the care provided to patients by the nursing staff.
Six patients were not re-positioned every two hours as ordered, five patients missed weight checks and no assistance was provided a patient who needed help in feeding.
The facility "failed to ensure that nursing administration provided oversight of nursing services," the report states.
The 36-bed unit is located within the Wilkes Barre General Hospital.
Still other deficiencies included failure to check glucose levels before insulin injection, failure to bathe four patients, delays in performing dietary assessments, and failure to send a patient's record to the emergency room along with the patient. The patient ended up in intensive care suffering from acute respiratory failure.
Other records, the surveyors reported, were filled out in advance and inaccurately.
"The nursing service must have adequate numbers of licensed registered nurses and other personnel," the report states
Also noted in the report was the fact that the state surveyor slipped on a wet floor which had no signage.
A plan of correction filed by the hospital includes retraining of staffers and audits to ensure compliance with standards.
The report noted that the hospital failed to implement a prior plan of correction filed earlier this year in response to another critical inspection report.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com

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