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Death in the Home and Pronouncement of Death

Tells staff what to do when a patient dies or appears to have died at home: when to start CPR and call 911, how to recognize valid Ohio do-not-resuscitate identification, who may pronounce death in Ohio (the Agency’s registered nurses do not, unless the governing body has adopted a procedure after confirming the conditions in ORC 4723.36 are met), when a health care worker must immediately notify the coroner under ORC 313.12, how the attending physician and funeral director handle the death certificate, and what the office does next.

Preview: full text with a package
About this policy
Policy number
OH-HH-CS-05
Version
1.0
Main rule
ORC 4723.36
Library
Ohio home health · 59 policies
Category
Clinical tasks
Sections
21

In short

  • If a patient is unresponsive and has no valid Ohio DNR identification, call 911 and start CPR if you are trained.
  • If valid DNR identification is present, do not start CPR. Comfort the family and call the on-call nurse.
  • Agency nurses do not pronounce death unless the Agency has adopted a procedure. Never fill in a death certificate.
  • Call the coroner at once if the death was violent, suspicious, sudden in apparent good health, or the person had a developmental disability.
  • Do not move the body, remove tubes or dispose of medications until you are told it is all right.

What's inside

21 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 (ORC 4723.36)
  • 5. Who May Pronounce Death
  • 6. Registered Nurse Pronouncement (Only If Adopted)
  • 7. What Staff Do When a Patient Appears to Have Died
  • 8. Expected Death With a Valid DNR
  • 9. Deaths That Must Be Reported to the Coroner
  • 10. The Death Certificate
  • 11. Ohio DNR Identification and the DNR Protocol
  • 12. What the Office Does Next
  • 13. Requests Staff Decline
  • 14. Responsibilities
  • 15. Records and Compliance Monitoring
  • 16. Staff Training
  • 17. References
  • 18. Related Policies and Forms
  • 19. Approval
  • 20. Revision History

An inspector may ask

  • What does an aide do if she finds a patient unresponsive at a visit?
  • May your nurses pronounce death? Why or why not?

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