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Pronouncement of Death and Care at the Time of Death

Tells staff what to do when a patient appears to have died or dies during a visit: emergency response, out-of-hospital do-not-resuscitate orders, expected and unexpected deaths, the county coroner, notifying the physician and family, care of the body, and records. Sets out, as a governing body choice, whether Agency registered nurses pronounce death under section 507 of the Vital Statistics Law of 1953.

Preview: full text with a package
About this policy
Policy number
PA-HH-CS-05
Version
1.0
Main rule
35 P.S. §450.507
Library
Pennsylvania home health · 56 policies
Category
Clinical tasks
Sections
19

In short

  • If you find a patient who may have died and you are not sure, call 911 and start CPR unless there is a valid do-not-resuscitate order.
  • Show any out-of-hospital DNR order, bracelet or necklace to the 911 responders.
  • Call the office or the on-call nurse at once on (717) 555-0199.
  • If the death may be unexpected, do not move the body or change anything in the room.
  • Never tell the family the cause of death. Agency nurses pronounce death only if the governing body has authorized it.

What's inside

19 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 (35 P.S. §450.507)
  • 5. Governing Body Decision
  • 6. When Staff Find a Patient Who May Have Died
  • 7. Expected Deaths
  • 8. Unexpected Deaths and the Coroner
  • 9. If Agency RNs Pronounce Death
  • 10. Care of the Body and Support of the Family
  • 11. What the Office Does Next
  • 12. Responsibilities
  • 13. Records and Compliance Monitoring
  • 14. Staff Training
  • 15. References
  • 16. Related Policies and Forms
  • 17. Approval
  • 18. Revision History

An inspector may ask

  • What does an aide do if she finds a patient who appears to have died?
  • Do your RNs pronounce death? Show me the governing body decision and the training record.

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