Failure to Store Respiratory Equipment Properly and Specify BIPAP Use
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident by not ensuring proper storage of respiratory equipment and by not specifying the frequency for BIPAP use in the physician's orders. Specifically, a resident with diagnoses including COPD, heart failure, dementia, morbid obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea was observed with an oxygen nasal cannula hanging freely from a wheelchair and not stored in a sealed, dated storage bag as required by facility policy. Staff interviews confirmed that the nasal cannula should have been stored properly when not in use, but this was not done after the resident was transferred to bed. Additionally, the physician's orders for the resident included the use of BIPAP but did not indicate when the BIPAP should be applied. Staff interviews revealed that the resident only wore BIPAP at night, and the DON stated that BIPAP should be applied any time the resident was sleeping, including naps. The lack of a specified frequency for BIPAP use in the physician's orders contributed to the deficiency in respiratory care for the resident.