US · guidance
CMS SOM App. N, Tag N0170
§483.364(a) Clinical staff, trained in the use of emergency safety interventions, must be
Physically present in or immediately outside the seclusion room, continually assessing,
monitoring, and evaluating the physical and psychological well-being of the resident in
seclusion. Video monitoring does not meet this requirement.
Interpretive Guidelines§ 483.364(a)
“Physically present” should be defined as being in close enough proximity to the resident
at all times to be able to verify that the resident is in no acute distress from the restraint
or seclusion. The staff must be able to assess, at any given moment, the resident’s
respirations, hear and respond to resident calls for assistance and observe changes in
resident behavior.
“Continually assessing” should be defined as observing, measuring and evaluating at all
times and documentation every 5 minutes of the ongoing assessment of the behavior and
physical status of the resident by the staff that are physically present throughout the
duration of the restraint or seclusion.
History
Rev. 131; Issued: 01-16-15, Effective: 01-16-15, Implementation: 01-16-15
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-07-22
- Edition
- som-2026-07-22
- Content hash
901496b3fc9a2f7ec601a5ca763215695a538a7e13e5f3c5e13184bfb8f37bbf
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