Failure to Date and Dispose of Opened Insulin Pens
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors found that the facility failed to ensure opened insulin pens were properly dated for use and disposal, as required by professional standards and manufacturer guidelines. During medication administration, a registered nurse used an insulin Lispro Kwik-pen for a resident without an open date recorded on the pen, despite being aware of the requirement. Manufacturer information specifies that insulin pens should not be used for more than 28 days after opening, but the pen in use did not have documentation of when it was first opened. Further observations revealed additional undated, opened insulin pens for three other residents in two medication carts. One LPN confirmed the presence of an undated insulin pen for a resident who was no longer at the facility, indicating a lack of proper medication disposal. The facility's own policy requires medications to be stored in their original, labeled containers and for expired or discontinued medications to be removed and disposed of appropriately. These findings demonstrate a failure to comply with medication labeling and storage requirements.