23 Miss. Code. R. 207-4.12

Current through October 31, 2024
Rule 23-207-4.12 - Special Procedures
A. The Division of Medicaid defines special procedures as seclusion and restraint and must be used as an immediate response only in emergency safety situations when needed to help a resident regain control of his/her behavior. At all times, the least restrictive effective intervention must be used. The potential therapeutic effects of prevention of self and other injury and reinforcement of behavioral boundaries must be weighed against the counter-therapeutic effects.
1. Seclusion is defined as the involuntary confinement of a resident in an area from which she/he is physically prevented from leaving. It is used to ensure the physical safety of the resident or others and to prevent the destruction of property or serious disruption of the milieu.
2. Restraint is defined as the restriction of a resident's freedom of movement or normal access to his/her body through physical, mechanical or pharmacological means, in order from the least to the most restrictive method. It is used to ensure the resident's physical safety.
a) Personal restraint is defined as the restraint of a resident through human physical action using a standard technique or method designed and approved for such use. It is used to prevent a resident from causing harm to self or others or to prevent destruction of property.
b) Mechanical restraint is defined as the restraint of a resident through the use of any mechanical device, material or equipment attached or adjacent to the resident's body that s/he cannot easily remove.
c) Pharmacological restraint is defined as the use of a medication, which is not a standard part of the resident's treatment regimen, to control or alter the resident's mood or behavior or to restrict freedom of movement. Pharmacological restraint is used to insure the safety of the resident or others through a period of extreme agitation when less restrictive measures have not been effective. Standing PRN orders for pharmacological restraints are prohibited.
B. Seclusion or restraint must only be used in situations where less restrictive interventions have been determined to be ineffective. Any use of seclusion or restraint must be:
1. In accordance with appropriate techniques,
2. Applied by staff trained and approved to use such techniques,
3. Implemented in the least restrictive manner possible,
4. In a room that is safe and sanitary, with adequate lighting, ventilation and temperature control, and
5. Evaluated on a continual basis and ended at the earliest possible time based on the assessment and evaluation of the resident's condition.
C. Seclusion or restraint cannot be used as a method of coercion, discipline or retaliation as compensation for lack of staff presence or competency, for the convenience of staff in controlling a resident's behavior, or as a substitute for individualized treatment.
1. Restraint and seclusion must not be used simultaneously.
2. Any personal or mechanical restraint of a resident in a face-down position is prohibited.
3. Any personal or mechanical restraint of a resident in a spread-eagle position with legs and arms apart is prohibited.
4. Standing, or "as needed" (PRN), orders for seclusion or restraint are prohibited.
D. The following actions are required for any form of special procedure with the exceptions as noted below:
1. Only a physician or a PMHNP may order the seclusion or personal/mechanical restraint of a resident.
2. If seclusion or personal/mechanical restraint is initiated without orders from a physician or PMHNP, a verbal or telephone order must be obtained from the physician or PMHNP by an RN or LPN no later than one (1) hour after the start of the procedure. If the physician's or PMHNP's order cannot be obtained within the one (1) hour, the procedure must be discontinued.
3. Pharmacological restraint may be initiated only by medical staff acting on a physician's or PMHNP's orders. At the time of the order, the physician or PMHNP must identify a specific time when the procedure is expected to end and/or the expected duration of the medication's effects, at which time the resident's condition must be assessed and the incident must be processed with the resident.
4. The physician's or PMHNP's order for seclusion or personal/mechanical restraint must be for a time period not to exceed one (1) hour for residents younger than nine (9) years of age, or two (2) hours for residents nine (9) to twenty one (21) years of age.
a) The original order may be renewed, if clinically justified, in accordance with these limits for up to a total of twenty four (24) hours.
b) After the renewal limits of the original order are reached, a physician or PMHNP must see and assess the resident before issuing a new order.
5. The staff person responsible for terminating seclusion must be physically present in or immediately outside the seclusion room throughout the duration of the procedure.
6. The staff person responsible for terminating a mechanical restraint must be physically present throughout the duration of the procedure.
7. Within one
(1) hour of the initiation of the emergency safety intervention, a physician, PMHNP or RN must conduct a face-to-face assessment of the physical and psychological well-being of the resident.
8. Even if the emergency safety intervention is terminated in less than one
(1) hour, the face-to-face assessment must be conducted within an hour of its initiation.
9. The health and comfort of the resident must be assessed every fifteen (15) minutes by direct observation, and staff must record their findings at the time of observation.
10. Vital signs must be taken every hour unless contraindicated and documented in the resident's record.
11. There must be clear criteria for ending the special procedure and the resident must be made aware of them when the procedure is initiated and at follow-up intervals as appropriate.
12. A physician, PMHNP, or RN must evaluate the resident's well-being immediately after the seclusion or restraint is terminated.
13. At an appropriate time, but no later than twenty-four (24) hours following the conclusion of the special procedure, the resident must be given the opportunity to discuss with all staff involved in the procedure the antecedents, emotional triggers, and consequences of his/her behavior and any learning that occurred as a result of the intervention.
E. All staff who have direct resident contact must have ongoing education, training, and demonstration of knowledge of the proper and safe use of seclusion/ restraint and alternative techniques/methods for handling the behavior, symptoms, and situations that traditionally have been treated through seclusion and restraint. Training in the application of physical restraint must be a professionally recognized method, which does not involve restraining a resident in a face-down or spread-eagle position with legs and arms apart.
F. If a facility provides for the use of seclusion/restraint, it must inform the prospective resident and the parent/guardian at the time of admission of the circumstances under which these special procedures are employed. The facility must provide the parent/guardian with a copy of its policy regarding seclusion/restraint and obtain a signed acknowledgment from the parent/guardian documenting that the policy was explained and a copy given to them. This acknowledgment must be filed in the resident's record. In the event that a resident requires either seclusion or restraint, the PRTF must notify the parent/guardian as soon as possible, but no later than twenty-four (24) hours after the initiation of the procedure.
G. Documentation of each incident of seclusion or restraint must be part of the resident's permanent record.
1. Documentation of each incident of seclusion or restraint, including personal, mechanical and pharmacological restraint, must include, but not be limited to, the following information:
a) The date and time the procedure started and ended,
b) The name of the physician or PMHNP who authorized it, the name(s) of staff who initiated the procedure, were involved in applying or monitoring it, and/or were responsible for terminating it,
c) Whether or not the resident returned from therapeutic leave within the preceding twenty-four (24) hours,
d) The reason the procedure was used,
e) Which less restrictive options were attempted, and how they failed,
f) Criteria for ending the procedure,
g) The results of the face-to-face assessment conducted by a physician, PMHNP or RN within one (1) hour after initiation of the procedure including:
(1) The resident's physical and psychological status,
(2) The resident's behavior,
(3) The appropriateness of the intervention measures, and
(4) Any complications resulting from the intervention.
h) The resident's condition at the time of each fifteen (15) minute reassessment and at the end of the procedure,
i) The signature of the person documenting the incident,
j) A record of both staff/resident and staff only debriefing sessions, which must take place within twenty-four (24) hours of the use of seclusion/restraint, and must include the names of staff present for or excused from the debriefing and any changes to the resident's treatment plan that resulted from the debriefings, and
k) Notification of the resident's parents/guardians within twenty-four (24) hours of the initiation of each incident, including the date and time of notification and the name of the staff person providing the notification.
2. A separate log documenting all episodes of seclusion/restraint in the PRTF must be maintained. A multi-disciplinary team, including at least nursing personnel, physician or PMHNP, therapist, and quality management personnel, must review incidents of seclusion/restraint monthly. These meetings must be documented.
3. Information regarding the number of times seclusion or restraint have been employed by a facility must be included each month as part of the facility's census report to the UM/QIO.

23 Miss. Code. R. 207-4.12

Miss. Code Ann. § 43-13-121; 42 CFR 483.364(b)(1)(2); 483.356(a)(1)(2)(3)(4); 483.366(a); 483.356(a)(3)(ii); 483.358(d)(e)(f); 483.364(a); 483.362(a)(c); 483.370(a)(b).