Texas Nursing Home Neglect & Rote Medical Chart Entries

A man recently won a $2.9 million nursing home neglect lawsuit after he discovered that his wife of over sixty years received dangerously poor care during her stay at El Dorado Care Center - from the first day she arrived until her death just weeks later from pneumonia. Native Texan Johnnie Esco, 77, suffered silently while nurses and other staff members continuously lied on her medical charts about administering medication and taking vital signs. By the time the nursing home discovered her condition had deteriorated, it was too late to save her life.

Inaccurate medical charts mean unhealthy residents

Unfortunately, lying on a patient's medical charts is far too common in Texas nursing homes, especially in those where nurses and staff are overworked or undertrained. Medical charts are in place to monitor the resident's care and well-being, and making up data on these charts can have devastating results.
Called "rote charting" or "dry labbing" by many, lying on medical charts often means that staff members simply look at the last set of data entered on the charts and make up new data similar to that information.

Why do nurses rote chart?

In some cases, staff shortages may mean that nurses simply don't have the time to give each resident the care they need. In other cases, nurses may be poorly supervised or poorly trained.
Here are just a few examples of rote charting and how it can harm our elderly loved ones:

• A staff member consistently writes that she has turned a bedridden nursing home resident when she has not in fact done so. The patient develops deep and painful bedsores.
• A nurse rote charts a patient's temperature over a series of days, claiming that the number is normal. In fact, the resident's temperature has risen dangerously as she fights off a deadly infection.
• A nurse notes that a patient has received her medicine, while at the same time neglecting to note several signs that the patient has become ill without her regular prescription drugs.

Has your parent suffered because of nursing home rote charting?

When we think of Texas nursing home neglect, we usually think of bedsores or filthy conditions - not a few numbers on a bedside chart. However, rote charting and dry labbing are extremely negligent acts that can quickly have serious health consequences for nursing home residents. If your elder loved one has been harmed by poor nursing care and rote charting, speak with a Dallas nursing home abuse attorney today about your case. We can help.