Controlled Medication Administration Delegated to Family
Penalty
Summary
A facility failed to ensure professional standards of quality were met in the administration of controlled medications for a resident with dementia who was receiving hospice care. The resident had active physician orders for morphine sulfate and lorazepam to be administered as needed for pain and anxiety. According to the facility-reported incident and interviews, a registered nurse informed the resident's family that she did not have time to administer the PRN medications as frequently as requested. The nurse then pre-drew doses of morphine and lorazepam into syringes and provided them to the family, instructing them to administer the medications themselves at a later time. The nurse admitted during an interview that she was aware she was not supposed to leave medications at the bedside for family administration. The incident was reported after the family informed staff about the nurse's actions. The facility's documentation and interviews confirm that the nurse delegated the administration of controlled substances to the resident's family, which is not in accordance with professional standards of medication administration.