Failure to Record Pulse Before and After Nebulizer Treatments
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to measure and record pulse rates before and after administering nebulizer treatments for a resident with diagnoses including congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease. The facility's Nebulizer Competency procedure required staff to take the resident's pulse prior to and at the completion of each nebulizer treatment. However, record review showed that the resident's pulse was only measured and recorded once daily, rather than before and after each treatment, during the period the resident was receiving albuterol sulfate inhalation nebulization. The DON confirmed that there was no facility policy for nebulized medication administration and that staff were expected to follow the Nebulizer Competency, which was not done in this case.