OAR 411-054-0040: Change of Condition and Monitoring

(1) CHANGE OF CONDITION. These rules define a resident's change of condition as either short term or significant with the following meanings: (a) Short term change of condition means a change in the resident's health or functioning that is expected to resolve or be reversed with minimal intervention or is an established, predictable, cyclical pattern associated with a previously diagnosed condition. (b) Significant change of condition means a major deviation from the most recent evaluation that may affect multiple areas of functioning or health that is not expected to be short term and imposes significant risk to the resident. (c) If a resident experiences a significant change of condition that is a major deviation in the resident's health or functional abilities, the facility must evaluate the resident, refer to the facility nurse, document the change, and update the service plan and the ABST. The staffing plan should also be updated, as needed. (d) If a resident experiences a short-term change of condition that is expected to resolve or reverse with minimal intervention, the facility must determine and document what action or intervention is needed for the resident. (A) The determined action or intervention must be communicated to staff on each shift. (B) The documentation of staff instructions or interventions must be resident specific and made part of the resident record with weekly progress noted until the condition resolves. (2) MONITORING. The facility must have written policies to ensure a resident monitoring and reporting system is implemented 24-hours a day. The policies must specify staff responsibilities and identify criteria for notifying the administrator, registered nurse, or healthcare provider. The facility must: (a) Monitor each resident consistent with his or her evaluated needs and service plan; (b) Train staff to identify changes in the resident's physical, emotional and mental functioning and document and report on the resident's changes of condition; (c) Have a reporting protocol with access to a designated staff person, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, who can determine if a change in the resident's condition requires further action; and (d) Provide written communication of a resident's change of condition, and any required interventions, for direct care staff on each shift.