Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

After a resuscitation error at Jefferson Manor nursing home in Louisville, Kentucky, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Hospital Association are considering using a universal color-coded armband system to alert staff as to patient conditions and wishes. Currently, there is no universal system in place to denote a patient's wishes regarding resuscitation in a long-term care facility or hospital. While federal and state laws require that hospitals and nursing homes keep DNR orders in a patient's chart, carrying out those orders appears to be where problems arise. Some facilities opt to use color-coded wrist bands, others use colored tape on doors or stickers in charts.