Unsecured Medication Storage in Nurse's Station
Summary
The facility failed to store all drugs and biologicals in locked compartments, as observed during a survey on Unit 2 East. Specifically, 16 medications for seven residents were found unattended and unsecured on a shelf in the nurse's station, which lacked a door or means to lock the area. The medications included Chlorhexidine mouth rinse, Lactulose, Sorbitol, Ipratropium Bromide and Albuterol Sulfate inhalation, Citrucel Powder, Lanta liquid, Refresh tears, and Betadine solution. These medications were accessible to residents, as the nurse's station was located near a common area where residents were present, and there was no staff within visual view to monitor the area. Interviews with various nursing staff revealed a lack of awareness and adherence to the facility's medication storage policy. Licensed Practical Nurse #2 acknowledged the medications should not have been stored on the shelf and were unsure how long they had been there. Unit Manager Licensed Practical Nurse #4 and Licensed Practical Nurse #5 were unaware that overflow medications could not be stored on the shelf, and both confirmed that the nurse's station was not a secure location. Licensed Practical Nurse #3 noticed the medications but did not take action to secure them or inform the Nursing Supervisor. The Director of Nursing and the Pharmacy Consultant both confirmed that medications should be stored in a locked, secure area, and the nurse's station shelf was not appropriate for medication storage. The Pharmacy Consultant noted that storing medications on the shelf could potentially allow resident access, posing a safety issue. The facility's process for receiving medications involved the Nursing Supervisor delivering them to the appropriate unit, expecting staff nurses to secure them in a medication cart or locked cabinet, which was not followed in this instance.
Plan Of Correction
Plan of Correction: Approved February 5, 2025 **NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** **F761- Label/store Drugs and Biologicals** 1. What corrective action will be accomplished for those residents found to have been affected by the deficient practice? a. For Resident number 94 the eye drops were removed and ordered directly through pharmacy with patient label. b. For Resident number 267 the [MEDICATION NAME] was discarded. c. For Residents 17, 22, 68, 70, 72 immediately removed the medications from the unsecure shelf and placed all their medications in their locked med cabinet and or med cart. 2. How you will identify other residents having the potential to be affected by the same deficient practice and what corrective action will be taken. a. All residents who receive medication and or biologicals have the potential to be affected by this deficient practice. b. On (MONTH) 9, 2025 the DON, ADON and Manager of the unit did a complete med audit. This included all shelves in the center of the unit near common areas where residents sit and no medications were found. An audit was also completed on all medication orders as they relate to supplies on hand. (01) 3. What measures will be put in place or what systemic changes you will make to ensure that the deficient practice does not reoccur. a. Three (3) cabinets on 2 east were identified to use for stock meds and overflow meds. Maintenance installed locks and all stock and overflow medications are now in the 3 locked cabinets located in the common area above the sink off the nurse’s station. The cabinets are located high on a wall that is in the common area to residents and staff and open to the nurse’s station; the cabinets will remain locked at all times. They are against the wall above the sink. The cabinets are sufficient to hold any overflow medications which do not fit in the locked medication cart and also for stock meds. No narcotics are stored in this area. The narcotics are kept in a double locked cabinet in the nurses stations. There is no overflow area necessary for narcotics. Nursing staff will unlock and obtain overflow medication/biologicals or stock meds as needed per specific orders for patients, lock the cabinet and bring the medication/biological directly to the respective medication cart to be administered and secured and stored. All RN’s, LPN’s will be in serviced by our ADON or nurse managers on all aspects of medication administration & storage, including proper receiving of medications and biologicals from pharmacy and the immediate delivery of the medications and biologicals to the appropriate secured storage area. All RN’s and LPN’s will have the P&P reviewed regarding Medication Cart audits, Medication room audits or medication cabinet audit, medication administration & documentation, storage of medication, and ordering and receiving medications from the dispensing pharmacy. (02) 4. How the corrective action will be monitored to ensure the deficient practice will not reoccur a. Our nurse manager or designee will be completing weekly audits in the common area and nurse’s station to ensure no medications are in an unlocked area. The manager will also conduct weekly medication cart and storage cabinet audits to ensure there are no discontinued medications. Medication administration audits will also be conducted yearly with each RN and LPN’s evaluations to ensure adherence to policy & procedure. (03) b. The nurse manager and or designee is responsible for conducting medication cart audits, medication room audits, medication storage audits, and audits of any medication storage cabinet and refrigerator storage of medications weekly on all Nursing units within TMR. Any negative findings will be addressed and corrected immediately. The results of these audits are given to quality and to the DON who also reports on them at our Quarterly Quality and Resident Safety Committee for review. (04) c. Any negative findings will be addressed and corrected immediately. The results of these audits will be reported by the DON at our Quarterly Quality and Resident Safety Committee for review. d. The pharmacy consultant agreed with the decision for the new location for stock and overflow meds and the security of medications. The pharmacy consultant will audit med storage areas every 2 weeks until we achieve 100% compliance for 8 consecutive audits. Thereafter, the pharmacy consultant will conduct spot audits and a full audit of med carts and med storage yearly throughout the building. (05) e. The Audits done by the nurse manager and or designee will be done weekly until we achieve 100% compliance over 8 consecutive weeks, after which, the findings will be reviewed by the Quality Assurance Committee for compliance. The Quality Committee will provide us with a schedule to follow for future medication cart and storage cabinet audits throughout the year. Medication administration audits will continue to be conducted yearly with each RN and LPN’s evaluations. The results of these audits will be given to the Quality Department and to the DON who also reports on them at our Quarterly Quality and Resident Safety Committee for review. f. While the primary responsibility for audits will be the unit manager, weekly audits may be done by a designee. The designee may include the DON, ADON, the Quality Team, other unit manager and or supervisor. The manager of each unit will be responsible for the delegation each week depending on staff schedules. 5. The date of the correction and the title of the person responsible for the correction of the deficiency. Date of Correction: (MONTH) 5, 2025 Person Responsible: Director of Nursing
Penalty
Resources
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Unattended medications were found left at a resident’s bedside, on another resident’s bedside table, and in a dining room where a resident was eating breakfast, even though staff confirmed the residents were not able to self-administer. An LPN also found expired ophthalmic drops in a medication cart, and the DON confirmed the eye drops were expired and should have been discarded.
Medication refrigerator temperatures were not kept within the required range and were not checked consistently. The main med refrigerator was found above range, with missing temperature logs across multiple months. It stored several residents’ insulins and other meds/biologicals, and an LPN later found the unit at about 50 degrees F. The DON stated staff should check refrigerator temperatures daily, and the consultant pharmacist reviewed how long the stored items could remain usable once the safe range was exceeded.
Medication labeling was deficient in the 500 wing med cart. An LPN observed a Lantus insulin pen with no expiration date and two bottles of Systane eye drops with missing opened-on and/or expiration dates; the LPN stated the cart lacked the stickers needed for proper labeling. The DON stated staff were expected to label items such as eye drops, insulin, nasal sprays, and inhalers with opened-on and expires-on dates when medications were checked in from pharmacy.
Unsecured Medication Cart and Expired Medications: An unlocked, unattended med cart was observed in a nursing station with open access, and expired Vitamin B-12 was found on another cart. An MA stated she administered the expired medication without checking the expiration date, while the DON said staff were expected to verify expiration dates and keep med carts locked when unattended.
Medications were left unsecured on medication carts and one cart was observed unlocked and unattended. An RN left an opened antibiotic for a resident on top of a cart, another RN left Polyethylene Glycol and Fluticasone nasal spray on top of a cart while administering meds, and a CMA was observed with an unlocked cart whose drawers were easily opened. The DON stated medications should be locked in the cart and refrigerated meds returned to the refrigerator after use.
An opened vial of Tubersol PPD in the First Floor Main Medication Room refrigerator was found without an open date, and staff could not determine its expiration date. Facility policy required stock medication labels to include the expiration date when applicable, and the ADON confirmed the vial was not dated.
Unattended Medications and Expired Eye Drops Found
Penalty
Summary
Drugs and biologicals were not stored and handled in accordance with accepted professional principles when unattended medications were left at the bedside and in a dining room, and expired medication was found in a medication cart. During observation, a clear medication cup containing a white cream was found behind a picture frame on a nightstand in a resident’s room, and the resident stated nurses apply the cream to the groin area. Staff confirmed the resident was not able to self-administer medication. In another room, a medication cup with two white tablets was left on the bedside table for a resident who was also not able to self-administer medication, and the RN confirmed the medication had been left unattended at bedside. In the memory care dining room, a resident was observed eating breakfast with a medication cup containing five tablets on the table while the nurse stood away from the residents at the medication cart. The LPN later confirmed the resident still had medication in the cup, and the DON stated medications are to be administered with the staff staying with the resident to ensure they are consumed. In addition, an observation of a hallway medication cart found two expired bottles of Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Solution 0.2% and one expired bottle of Olopatadine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution. Staff stated expired eye drops should be discarded, and the DON confirmed the eye drops were expired and should have been disposed of and reordered.
Medication Refrigerator Temperatures Not Monitored Consistently
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to keep medication refrigerators within the recommended temperature range for 1 of 2 medication refrigerators. During observation, the main medication storage room refrigerator read 42 degrees F, while the temperature log for July showed the last recorded reading was 39 degrees F. The log had no entries for July 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6, and staff were using food refrigerator temperature logs. The temperature log identified a safe range of 32 to 41 degrees F, and instructions directed staff to report any out-of-range temperature to the supervisor. The LPN verified that the July temperature had been recorded only one time. Review of prior months showed the same issue with incomplete monitoring: June had only four recorded temperatures with 26 days missing, May had no temperature readings available, and April had three recorded temperatures with 28 days missing. The refrigerator contained medications and biologicals including multiple residents’ insulins such as Lantus, NovoLog, Humalog, and Basaglar, as well as Trulicity, calcitonin spray, Evenity, Aplisol, Engerix B, and Comirnaty. The DON stated staff should check refrigerator temperatures daily, and an LPN later found the refrigerator temperature was about 50 degrees F and moved the medications to a different refrigerator. The consultant pharmacist reviewed the medications and identified varying time limits for use once the refrigerator exceeded the safe range, based on the last known temperature reading.
Medication Labeling Deficiency in 500 Wing Cart
Penalty
Summary
Medications and biologicals in the facility were not labeled in accordance with accepted professional principles in the 500 wing medication cart. During observation with an LPN, one Lantus insulin pen was found with no expiration date noted. A box containing two bottles of Systane eye drops was also observed; one bottle had an open date but no expiration date, and the second bottle had neither an opened-on date nor an expiration date. The LPN stated that when medications were received, staff were supposed to place an opened-on/expired sticker on the medication and write the date it was first used and the expiration date on the sticker, but no stickers could be found in the cart during the demonstration. The LPN stated that without an opened-on or expiration date, staff would not know how long a medication had been opened or whether it was safe to use. The LPN also stated that eye drops expire 28 days after opening, and the eye drops dated [DATE] were past expiration. During interview, the DON stated she expected staff to place opened-on and expires-on stickers on medications such as eye drops, insulin, nasal sprays, and inhalers when medications were checked in from pharmacy, and that this information was important to ensure the medication was safe to use and still within its therapeutic level. A policy related to medication labeling and storage was requested but not provided.
Unsecured Medication Cart and Expired Medications
Penalty
Summary
Drugs and biologicals were not stored and handled in accordance with accepted professional principles when an unattended medication cart was found unlocked in the C and D Hall nursing station and expired medications were found on the A Hall medication cart. During observation, the C Hall medication cart was left unlocked and unattended inside a nursing station that had two accessible entrances, including one open entrance with no door. The Director of Nursing Services stated the cart should be locked when unattended, and Nurse #1 stated she had locked the cart after handoff but was unsure why it was unlocked and said she was the only person with a key. On the A Hall medication cart, a bottle of Vitamin B-12 500 mcg with an expiration date of 1/2026 was available for use, and Medication Aide #1 stated she had administered it to a resident without checking the expiration date. A second bottle of Vitamin B-12 1000 mcg with an expiration date of 6/2026 was also observed on the cart. The DON stated nurses or MAs were expected to check expiration dates before administering medications and to remove expired medications from carts at the start of each shift, and the Administrator stated expired medications should be removed from medication carts and replaced with non-expired medications.
Unsecured medications left on carts and an unlocked medication cart observed
Penalty
Summary
Medications were not securely stored in three observed medication carts. On 6/30/26, an opened bottle of liquid Amoxicillin-Pot Clavulanate oral suspension for resident 181 was left on top of a medication cart in the 700 hallway outside resident 75's room with no staff present. During the time it remained there, CMA X, an activities assistant, and two unidentified visitors walked past the cart. Clinical care leader S later removed the antibiotic and stated RN V had been assigned to that cart and had left the medication there; RN V acknowledged she had forgotten to return the antibiotic to the refrigerator after leaving the cart. Resident 181 had a physician's order for Amoxicillin-Pot Clavulanate oral suspension via NG tube for acute cystitis without hematuria. On 7/1/26, RN FF was observed preparing medications for residents 47 and 150 and left a bottle of Polyethylene Glycol and a bottle of Fluticasone nasal spray on top of the medication cart while she walked into the dining room to administer medications. RN FF stated she left the Fluticasone nasal spray there so she would not forget to give it to resident 89, who was eating, and said the Polyethylene Glycol bottle was not supposed to be left unsecured. On 7/2/26, RN/clinical nurse leader I and CMA Z were observed with an unlocked medication cart in the 200 hallway with no nurse or medication aide attending it, and the drawers were easily opened. CMA Z stated she thought she had locked the cart. The DON stated medications were expected to be locked in the cart and not left unattended, and refrigerated medications were expected to be returned to the refrigerator after use.
Opened Tubersol Vial Lacked Required Date
Penalty
Summary
Medications were not properly dated when opened in the First Floor Main Medication Room. Review of the facility policy on labeling medication containers stated that stock medication labels must include the expiration date when applicable. Manufacturer guidance for Tubersol PPD stated that vials entered and in use for 30 days should be discarded. During observation of the First Floor Main Medication Room refrigerator, an opened vial of Tubersol was found without an open date, so staff could not determine the expiration date. The Assistant Director of Nursing confirmed that the opened vial lacked an open date.
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