Hospital Cited in Suicide Attempt

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A Pennsylvania hospital has been cited for failing to keep a suicidal patient under constant watch enabling the patient to attempt suicide.
The report on the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center states that a sitter had been assigned to maintain a constant watch while the patient was showering but the employee did not have an unobstructed view.
At 2:39 p.m. on June 4 the patient was found slumped over in the shower.
The facility "failed to ensure staff had an unobstructed view of a suicidal patient," according to the report from the state Health Department.
Earlier the patient "verbalized thought of killing self," prompting a physician to order a one-to-one sitter.
Geisinger officials did not respond to questions about the incident including whether resuscitation efforts were successful.
According to the report the employee activated an alarm and staff subsequently attempted to resuscitate the patient including intubation and administering Narcan.
Hospital records showed that hospital employees subsequently found "the end cap of an intravenous" in the back of the patient's throat.
The same hospital was cited in a separate report for failure to document a patient assesment after the patient was exposed to urine and fecal matter due to an overflowing commode. The hospital filed plans of correction in response to both reports. Both plans call for staff education and monitoring to ensure compliance.