Medication Left Unattended at Bedside
Penalty
Summary
A licensed vocational nurse (LVN) left a white tablet inside an unlabeled clear cup unattended on a resident's bedside table. This action was observed during a medication pass, and the medication was not administered to the resident at that time. The resident was unable to self-administer the medication, and the LVN acknowledged that the medication should not have been left unattended and should have been taken back until the resident was ready to receive it. The facility's policy and procedure for medication administration states that medications must be administered in a safe manner, and if a resident is unavailable, the nurse should return later to administer the medication. Both the LVN and the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) confirmed that leaving the medication unattended on the bedside table was not in accordance with facility policy.