HAMPTON, Va. (AP) — A patient’s death has prompted policy changes at the Hampton VA Medical Center.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General recommended the changes to the hospital’s education and training policies. The inspector general conducted an inspection of the hospital after it received allegations that the patient’s death in 2013 resulted from improper nursing care.
In a report released Wednesday, the inspector general says nursing staff didn’t follow the hospital’s policy requiring a patient to be checked every 30 minutes. Inspectors couldn’t find documentation of any actions taken after the staff was notified of a change in the patient’s condition.
Inspectors couldn’t determine whether the patient’s death resulted from the nursing staff’s failure to immediately assess him.
Hospital director Michael Dunfee says additional training and education began in August.
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