Failure to Maintain Cleanliness of Nebulizer Mask
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a resident with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was observed to have a nebulizer mask left uncovered on the bedside table when not in use. The resident had a physician's order for Budesonide Inhalation Suspension to be administered twice daily for shortness of breath related to COPD. Observations on two separate occasions confirmed that the nebulizer mask was not stored in a plastic bag as required by facility policy. Interviews with an LPN and the Director of Nursing confirmed that the nebulizer mask should have been kept in a plastic bag when not in use, in accordance with the facility's policy on oxygen administration. The failure to properly store the nebulizer mask represented a lapse in maintaining the cleanliness of respiratory equipment for the resident.