Assignment Description: For this week assignment, write a 1500-word essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Read the case study presented at the end of Chapter 10, which begins “The elderly patient resided at the nursing home for almost a year before she died at the hospital.” Did the lack of documentation in the admitting nurse’s assessment and notes affect the ultimate outcome of this case? Was there negligence on the part of the nursing staff in the care of this patient? What could the nurse have done differently to facilitate a different outcome in this case? How would you decide this case?

 Assignment Description:

For this week assignment, write a 1500-word essay addressing each of the following points/questions.

Read the case study presented at the end of Chapter 10, which begins “The elderly patient resided at the nursing home for almost a year before she died at the hospital.”

 	
Did the lack of documentation in the admitting nurse’s assessment and notes affect the ultimate outcome of this case?
 	
Was there negligence on the part of the nursing staff in the care of this patient?
 	
What could the nurse have done differently to facilitate a different outcome in this case?
 	
How would you decide this case?

Using the sample professional liability insurance policy (Chapter 11 p. 191-192 Figure 11-1) locate the various provisions:

 	
Limits of liability
 	
Declarations
 	
Deductibles
 	
Exclusions
 	
Reservation of rights
 	
Covered injuries
 	
Defense costs
 	
Coverage conditions and supplementary payments
 	
Did you have difficulty finding some of the sections? Would this be a policy that you would consider purchasing for your own liability coverage? Why or why not?

Read the case study presented at the end of Chapter 11, You Be the Judge, which begins, “During an unexpected heat wave,…” (Guido, p. 195):

 	
What provisions of an insurance policy would you consult to determine if an insurance company should pay such a claim, and what would the limits of the liability be?
 	
Is the nursing home insurance company correct in saying that this is a professional judgment issue?
 	
Which insurance company (the nursing home’s or that of the administrator of the nursing home, assuming she has coverage) should pay the court-ordered judgment?
 	
How would you decide the case?

Please combine all of these responses into a single Microsoft Word document for submission. Submit only completed assignments (not partial or “draft” assignments). Be thorough in your responses to adequately address all aspects of each question.

Submit only the assignments corresponding to the module in this section.
Verified Answer
Nursing Documentation and Professional Liability Insurance
Nursing documentation is the record of a nurse’s observations, assessments, interventions, and evaluations of a patient’s health status. This documentation is an important tool for communication among healthcare professionals and a legal record of the care provided. This paper will focus on the analyses of the impact of documentation and lack thereof in the healthcare sector. Additionally, the paper will address the issue of professional liability insurance policies and how they are applied in fields and instances.
Case One: Chapter Ten
Did the lack of documentation in the admitting nurse’s assessment and notes affect the ultimate outcome of this case?
As a physician, I believe that the lack of documentation pertaining to the overall grade III necrotic pressure ulcer on the coccyx for the patient as well as any other specialized treatment may have played a role in the patient’s ultimate outcome. From one perspective, it could be considered a case of delayed diagnosis due to the failure of the nurse to identify the symptoms (Guido, 2020).

Furthermore, the competency of the nursing staff at home is questionable. It is likely that their insufficient expertise contributed to the failure to identify the issue at the assessment level the need for better bedding. The main concern is whether the nursing home has any established protocols for the care of bedridden patients and if they provide appropriate bedding for treatment and prevention measures. In this instance, the risk for developing pressure ulcers ought to have been noticed at an earlier stage, highlighting the importance of utilizing specialized mattresses.

However, it could also be argued that if a diagnosis had been made and documentation had been properly kept, it could have directly impacted the patient’s final outcome. Early administration of the correct treatment by other members of the healthcare team could have potentially altered the patient’s outcome.
Was there negligence on the part of the nursing staff in the care of this patient?
The patient’s death can be attributed to the neglect of the nursing staff, which constitutes a violating the standards of nursing. The failure to properly observe the progress of the patient within the nursing facility is a clear indication of negligence. Care providers are trained and expected to assist their assigned patients through constant and effective evaluating them and consistently recording any changes in their condition (Griffith, 2020). The patient’s outcome was negatively affected due to the nursing team’s failure to assess and diagnose pressure ulcers properly.

The inadequate quality of treatment and documentation further supports the conclusion of negligence. There is no evidence of supported ambulation or the use of specialized mattresses in the patient’s medical records, indicating a lack of adherence to established standards of care. I believe that the nursing staff who provided care for this patient neglected their duties by failing to properly document procedures, thereby committing negligence.