Resident Medical Information Left Exposed on Unattended Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) failed to lock the computer screen on the medication cart, leaving a resident's personal and medical information exposed. The incident was observed on Unit E, where the computer screen displayed the resident's information and was left unattended. The Director of Nursing (DON) also observed the exposed information and subsequently notified the LVN. During an interview, the LVN acknowledged that she became distracted by another resident and forgot to secure the computer screen, admitting that this was a violation of privacy and could allow unauthorized access to sensitive information. The resident whose information was exposed was an elderly female with a history of cerebral infarction, dementia, dysphagia, and urinary tract infection. The facility's policy on resident rights, which includes the right to privacy and confidentiality of personal and medical records, was not followed in this instance. Both the LVN and the DON recognized that the failure to secure the computer screen constituted a breach of confidentiality and resident privacy.