Failure to Date and Properly Store Oxygen Supplies for Resident Receiving Oxygen Therapy
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide necessary respiratory care and services for a resident with chronic respiratory conditions, including pleural effusion, asthma, and chronic respiratory failure. The resident required continuous oxygen therapy at two liters per minute via nasal cannula, as ordered by the physician. During observation, it was found that the resident's oxygen tubing and humidifier were not dated to indicate when they were last changed, and the oxygen mask used for respiratory treatment was left on top of the bedside table rather than stored properly. Additionally, there was no oxygen supplies bag available in the resident's room for storing the oxygen tubing when not in use. Interviews with facility staff, including an LVN and the Interim Director of Nursing, confirmed that facility policy required oxygen supplies and tubing to be dated and changed every seven to fourteen days, and that supplies not in use should be kept in a dated and labeled oxygen supplies bag. The staff acknowledged that the lack of dating and improper storage of oxygen supplies meant they could not determine how long the supplies had been in use, and that this practice was not in accordance with facility policy. The failure to follow these procedures was directly observed and confirmed through staff interviews and policy review.