Death Investigations Flashcards
Nursing Home Death
- An apparent natural death at a nursing home is not always reportable; nursing homes are considered 24 hour health care facilities. A death that occurs at a nursing home is reportable if it meets any of the conditions set forth in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (Art. 49.25, Sec 6 (a)).
- An apparent natural death that occurs at an _____ is considered an at home death and shall be reported.
Assisted Living facility
Reportable Natural Death
1. A reportable death is a death that requires a law enforcement agency or a
medical examiner to be notified and an incident report to be written.
(a) Any death at a _____ is a reportable death unless the death meets the requirements of a “hospice death” as explained below.
(b) Any death of a child ____ and under is a reportable death and investigated by the Homicide Unit and reviewed by the Travis County Child Fatality Review Team.
private residence; 17
Hospice Death
1. An apparent natural death at a qualified Hospice facility is not considered a
reportable death.
2. Although a private residence hospice death is a reportable death, by agreement with the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office, the responding officer does not need to initiate an incident report. A private residence hospice death is one that meets the following criteria:
(a) The deceased has been diagnosed by an attending physician as having a _____ with no expectation of cure.
(b) A “_____” has been signed and witnessed in accordance with the “Texas Natural Death Act”.
(c) A _____ is present at the home at the time the death, or shortly thereafter, to assess the condition of the deceased.
(d) The nurse notifies the attending physician immediately of the death.
(e) The attending physician states a willingness to sign the _____.
(f) The attending physician notifies the appropriate _____ to have the deceased removed from the residence.
terminal illness; Directive to Physicians; registered nurse; death certificate; funeral home
