That is the most common defense in nursing home cases, and it deserves a direct answer: the existence of an underlying condition that creates risk is not a license to ignore that risk.
A resident with diabetes, vascular disease, or immobility is exactly the resident for whom aggressive preventive protocols — frequent repositioning, hydration management, nutrition assessment, skin checks — are mandatory. The facility’s job is to manage known risks, not to invoke them as an excuse after the fact.
If the facility cannot produce documentation showing it identified the risk and took specific steps to address it, the “expected outcome” defense typically fails under scrutiny from a qualified nursing expert.