Death at Home, Pronouncement of Death and Post-Death Care
Sets out what staff do when a patient's death is near or has occurred: preparing the family for an expected death, the death visit, determination and pronouncement of death by a registered nurse under ORC 4723.36 (effective March 20, 2025), notifying the attending practitioner within 24 hours, deaths that must be reported to the coroner under ORC 313.12, the death certificate, care of the body, the written request to relinquish opioids, equipment, records, and support for the family and staff.
About this policy
- Policy number
- OH-HSP-DTH-01
- Version
- 1.0
- Main rule
- ORC 4723.36
- Library
- Ohio hospice · 60 policies
- Category
- Hospice care
- Sections
- 24
In short
- When a patient dies, call the RN case manager or on-call nurse at once. Aides, LPNs and volunteers never pronounce death or move the body.
- An RN may pronounce death only if breathing and circulation are not being kept going by machines and the RN is caring for the patient through the hospice.
- The RN never fills in any part of the death certificate and must tell the attending practitioner no later than 24 hours after the pronouncement.
- Call the coroner at once for a violent, suspicious, sudden or unusual death, or if the patient had a developmental disability.
- Before leaving, give the family the written request to hand over remaining opioids and complete the witnessed disposal.
What's inside
24 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.
- Terms of Reference
- 1. Purpose
- 2. Scope
- 3. Definitions
- 4. Policy Statement (ORC 4723.36)
- 5. Preparing for an Expected Death
- 6. When a Death Is Reported to the Agency
- 7. Pronouncement by an Authorized RN
- 7.1 Conditions
- 7.2 Determining death
- 7.3 What the RN must not do, and must do
- 7.4 If no authorized RN can attend
- 8. Deaths That Must Be Reported to the Coroner
- 9. Notifications After Death
- 10. The Death Certificate
- 11. Care After Death
- 12. Records and Staff Support
- 13. Responsibilities
- 14. Records and Compliance Monitoring
- 15. Staff Training
- 16. References
- 17. Related Policies and Forms
- 18. Approval
- 19. Revision History
An inspector may ask
- Who may pronounce death for your patients, and under what conditions?
- Show me the death visit record for this patient. When was the attending physician notified?
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