Failure to Label Opened Inhalers with Open or Discard Dates
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that multiple residents' inhaler medications, including Advair, Albuterol, Trelegy, and Breyna, were found open and not labeled with either open or discard dates on various medication carts throughout the facility. These observations were made in the presence of nursing staff, including both LPNs and RNs, who confirmed that the inhalers were open and lacked the required labeling. The residents involved had active physician orders for these inhalers, and the medications were in use at the time of the survey. The Director of Nursing confirmed that facility policy requires all medications, including inhalers, to be labeled with open dates to ensure safe storage and use, in accordance with manufacturer or supplier recommendations. Despite this policy, the survey found that the labeling procedure was not followed for the inhalers in question, resulting in a failure to comply with accepted professional principles for medication storage and labeling.