Question

while working to repair a leaky faucet in a persons room at a long-term care facility, sam, an employee in the maintenance department, sees a certified nursing assistant (cna) hit a person for whom she is caring. sam thinks he should probably report the abuse but is not sure. what should he do?

realize that because he is not a member of the nursing staff and does not directly take care of people, he does not have to report what he saw
talk to the cna to find out why she hit the person
tell a co-worker what happened and ask if he should report it or not
follow the facility policy and procedure on how to report the abuse and report it right away

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Mandated Abuse Reporting in Healthcare
All facility staff must immediately report suspected resident abuse.

Step 1: Analyze the Situation

Sam, a maintenance employee at a long-term care facility, witnesses a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) hit a resident. Even though Sam is not part of the clinical nursing staff, he has witnessed physical abuse of a vulnerable resident within a healthcare facility.

Step 2: Evaluate the Options

• Option 1: "Realize that because he is not a member of the nursing staff... he does not have to report what he saw"
• Incorrect: All employees in a healthcare facility, regardless of their department (including maintenance, dietary, and housekeeping), have a legal and ethical duty to protect residents and report suspected abuse.
• Option 2: "Talk to the CNA to find out why she hit the person"
• Incorrect: It is not the employee's role to investigate the incident or confront the abuser, which could compromise the investigation or lead to retaliation.
• Option 3: "Tell a co-worker what happened and ask if he should report it or not"
• Incorrect: Discussing it with a peer delays the report and does not fulfill the official reporting requirement.
• Option 4: "Follow the facility policy and procedure on how to report the abuse and report it right away"
• Correct: Suspected abuse must be reported immediately following the established institutional protocols to ensure resident safety and initiate an official investigation.

Answer:

Follow the facility policy and procedure on how to report the abuse and report it right away