Oxygen Tubing Labeling Deficiency
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a resident who required intermittent oxygen therapy did not have their oxygen tubing labeled with a start date or change date. The resident, who had diagnoses including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes mellitus type II, and hemiplegia, was noted to have severely impaired cognition and required substantial to maximal assistance for mobility. During an observation, it was found that the oxygen tubing in the resident's room lacked any labeling to indicate when it had been started or last changed. During an interview, an LVN confirmed that the facility's practice was to change oxygen tubing weekly, but acknowledged that there was no date label present on the tubing for this resident. The LVN also stated that failure to change the tubing as scheduled could present an infection control issue. Review of the facility's policy indicated that oxygen tubing should be changed weekly and labeled with the date of change, but this procedure was not followed in this instance.