Unlabeled and Expired Medications Found in Medication Storage Areas
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified several deficiencies in the facility's management of medications and biologicals. In the medication room of Station A, two vials of meropenem, an intravenous antibiotic, were found unlabeled in the IV cart. The registered nurse confirmed that these vials should have been discarded after the prescribed course was completed, but they remained in the cart without proper labeling. Review of the resident's records indicated that the meropenem treatment had concluded, and the extra vials delivered by the pharmacy were not disposed of as required. In Station B, expired medications were found in the medication cart during inspection with the Infection Preventionist. Specifically, a container of psyllium and a bottle of docusate sodium, both used to treat constipation, were discovered with expiration dates that had already passed. The Infection Preventionist and Director of Staff Development both acknowledged that expired medications should be discarded, and that nurses are responsible for checking and removing such items from the cart. Further interviews with nursing staff confirmed that expired medications should not be present in medication carts and that staff are expected to check expiration dates before administration. The Director of Nursing reviewed facility policies, which require the disposal of expired and unlabeled medications and prohibit their storage or use. The presence of expired and unlabeled medications in both the medication room and carts was acknowledged as a failure to follow these established policies.