Improper Storage of Nasal Cannula for Resident on PRN Oxygen
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide respiratory care consistent with professional standards and the resident’s care plan by not properly storing a nasal cannula when not in use. Record review showed that the resident was an adult male with acute respiratory failure with hypoxia and an active diagnosis of respiratory failure, admitted with a physician’s order for oxygen at 2–4 L/min via nasal cannula as needed for acute respiratory failure. The resident’s MDS reflected intact cognition. During an observation in the morning, the resident was seen in his wheelchair in the hallway while his nasal cannula, which he reported using only at night and not since getting out of bed that morning, was found lying unbagged on top of his bed. When the LVN was shown the unbagged nasal cannula, she stated that the night nurse should have bagged it to avoid contamination and confirmed that the resident used oxygen at night and sometimes during the day. She further stated it was the nurse’s responsibility to ensure the nasal cannula was bagged when not in use. The Regional Nurse, when informed of the situation, stated the nasal cannula should have been bagged when not in use and that not bagging it could result in the resident getting an infection, reiterating that it was the nurse’s responsibility. The ADON also stated that the nasal cannula needed to be bagged when not in use to prevent infection and that it was the nurse’s responsibility to ensure this occurred. The facility’s Oxygen Administration policy, dated 10/2010, outlined guidelines for safe oxygen administration, including verifying a physician’s order and reviewing the resident’s care plan, but the observed practice did not align with these standards.
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