Failure to Provide Appropriate Respiratory Care and Documentation for CPAP Therapy
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide respiratory care and oxygen services consistent with professional standards of practice for a resident requiring CPAP therapy. The facility's policy required physician orders for CPAP to include pressure settings and hours of use, but did not specify how the CPAP mask should be stored when not in use. For a resident with diagnoses including obstructive sleep apnea, hemiplegia, hemiparesis following a stroke, and legal blindness, the physician's order for CPAP therapy lacked the required machine settings. Additionally, the resident's care plan did not include a respiratory care plan or documentation of CPAP use. Observations over several days revealed that the resident's CPAP mask was consistently stored hanging on a hook on the wall above the bed, with the mask directly touching the wall. Staff interviews confirmed the absence of required CPAP settings in the physician's order and the lack of a respiratory care plan in the resident's documentation. The facility's policy also did not provide guidance on proper storage of CPAP masks when not in use.