Failure to Ensure Competency in Insulin Administration
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that all licensed nursing staff were appropriately trained and deemed competent to administer insulin. During an observation and interview, an LPN administered insulin to a resident without priming the insulin pen with 2 units of insulin prior to dialing up the ordered dose. The LPN expressed surprise at forgetting to prime the pen. The resident's Medication Administration Record indicated they were receiving multiple doses of Novolog and Lantus insulin daily for diabetes management. The manufacturer's instructions for the Lantus Solostar pen clearly state that the pen should be primed with 2 units of insulin before administering the dose, a step that was missed by the LPN during the observed administration. The Director of Nursing (DON) confirmed that staff should be priming insulin pens and admitted that no insulin competencies had been completed with licensed nurses. Additionally, there were no drug books or manufacturer's directions available for nurses to reference at the nurses' station, medication room, or medication cart, although the DON had requested a new drug book from the executive director of operations. The executive director of operations stated that they would expect the DON to ensure licensed nurses were competent with insulin administration. No policy related to insulin administration was provided by the end of the survey.
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