Skip to content

Death of a Patient at Home

Sets out what staff do when a patient dies or is found dead at home: honor a valid POLST or do-not-resuscitate request and otherwise call 911; never make a legal pronouncement of death unless the Agency has confirmed that California law allows it in that situation; notify the attending physician, the family, and the coroner whenever Gov. Code §27491 calls for the coroner’s inquiry (including deaths where no physician attended the patient in the 20 days before death); leave the body and devices undisturbed in a coroner’s case; and close the record with a discharge statement of the date, reason, and condition (22 CCR §74735(a)(9)).

Preview: full text with a package
About this policy
Policy number
CA-HH-CS-05
Version
1.0
Main rule
22 CCR §74735(a)(9)
Library
California home health · 58 policies
Category
Clinical tasks
Sections
18

In short

  • If a patient is not breathing and there is no valid POLST, DNR form, or DNR medallion, call 911 and start CPR if you are trained.
  • If there is a valid POLST or DNR, follow it. If you are not sure it is valid, call 911.
  • Agency staff do not pronounce death. Call the patient’s physician and your supervisor.
  • The coroner must be told about unexpected deaths, deaths after a fall or injury, and patients no physician saw in the 20 days before death. Do not move anything in those cases.
  • Do not take or throw away the patient’s medicines. Tell the family how to use a take-back site.

What's inside

18 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.

Full text with a package
  • Terms of Reference
  • 1. Purpose
  • 2. Scope
  • 3. Definitions
  • 4. Policy Statement (22 CCR §74735(a)(9))
  • 5. Before Death: Planning for an Expected Death
  • 6. Finding a Patient Who Is Not Breathing
  • 7. Notifying the Physician, the Family, and the Coroner
  • 8. Care of the Body, Medications, and Equipment
  • 9. Documentation and Closing the Record
  • 10. Support for Family and Staff
  • 11. Responsibilities
  • 12. Records and Compliance Monitoring
  • 13. Staff Training
  • 14. References
  • 15. Related Policies and Forms
  • 16. Approval
  • 17. Revision History

An inspector may ask

  • What does your nurse do on arriving to find a patient who has died?
  • Who pronounces death for your patients, and who signs the death certificate?

See Cura Core with your agency's name on it.

Choose your state and type of agency, buy your Policy Pack online and get your sign-in by email. Already a customer? Sign in to your portal.

Get startedSign in