{"ref":"TX-CL-06","title":"Pronouncement of Death","category":"Clinical tasks","summary":"Says what staff do if a client dies during a visit: call 911 and the office, stay with the client, and leave the pronouncement of death to the people the law allows.","inShort":["If a client is not breathing or will not wake up, call 911 right away, even if the death was expected.","Tell the 911 dispatcher if the client has a do-not-resuscitate order and where it is kept. Follow their instructions.","Stay with the client until help arrives. Do not move the client, clean up, or take anything away.","Call the office at (512) 555-0100 as soon as you can, and write down what happened that same day.","Do not say the client has died or sign any papers about the death. Leave that to the responders."],"primaryCitation":"26 TAC §558.302","citations":["26 TAC §558.302","Tex. Health & Safety Code §671.001","Tex. Health & Safety Code ch. 166","26 TAC §558.283","26 TAC §558.249","26 TAC §558.301","Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 49.04","Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 49.25"],"federalCitations":[],"surveyorAsks":["Does any nurse employed by or contracted with the Agency pronounce death? If so, show me the written policy and that nurse’s authorization.","What does an attendant do if a client is found unresponsive and not breathing at the start of a visit?"],"forms":[],"headings":["Terms of Reference","1. Purpose","2. Scope","3. Definitions","4. Policy Statement (26 TAC §558.302)","5. Procedure: What Staff Do If a Client Appears to Have Died","6. Out-of-Hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders","7. What the Office Does Next","8. Requests Outside the Agency’s Scope","9. Alternative Procedure: If Agency Registered Nurses Pronounce Death","10. Staff Training","11. Responsibilities","12. Records and Compliance Monitoring","13. References","14. Related Policies and Forms","15. Approval","16. Revision History"],"version":"1.0","sample":false,"pack":"tx-pas","state":"Texas","service":"Home care","guides":[{"path":"/guides/home-care-agency-policies/","h1":"What policies does a home care agency need?"}],"agency":{"name":"Sample Home Care Agency","legalName":"Sample Home Care Agency, LLC","logo":null}}