Failure to Secure and Label Medications and IV Fluids
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to ensure medications and biologicals were properly secured and labeled according to professional standards. Specifically, antifungal powder (Miconazole Nitrate 2%) and medicated body powder containing menthol were found unsecured on the bedside tables of two residents over multiple days. Interviews with the residents confirmed that the powders were used daily, and staff interviews revealed that medications are not permitted at the bedside unless the resident has been evaluated for self-administration, in which case the medication must still be locked. Facility policy requires all medications to be stored in locked compartments accessible only to authorized personnel. Additionally, an observation revealed that a resident receiving Dextrose 5% intravenous (IV) fluids had an IV bag and tubing that were not dated, contrary to facility policy. Staff interviews confirmed that both the IV bag and tubing should be dated, initialed, and timed. The facility's policy on intravenous administration specifies that solution containers must be labeled with the start time and approximate completion time, and that labels or tape should be used rather than writing directly on the bag.