Failure to Provide Safe and Appropriate Respiratory Care and Equipment Maintenance
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for four residents by not following physician orders and not maintaining cleanliness of respiratory equipment. For one resident with COPD, the oxygen concentrator was found to be dusty, had a dried substance on its surface, and was missing a filter, with the internal filter containing a dusty gray substance. The LPN confirmed the concentrator had not been cleaned weekly as required by facility policy. Two other residents receiving oxygen therapy had nasal cannulas that were not dated, and their humidification water bottles were not changed according to the required schedule, as the bottles were dated beyond the weekly change interval. The ADON confirmed these items should have been changed weekly and properly dated. Additionally, a nebulizer with a mask dated nearly a month prior was found in another resident's room, despite no physician order, care plan, or documentation indicating the resident required or used a nebulizer. The resident was unaware of the device, and the LPN confirmed there was no current order for its use. These findings demonstrate a failure to adhere to facility policy and physician orders regarding respiratory care and equipment maintenance for multiple residents.