Failure to Ensure PRN Psychotropic Medications Had Stop Dates
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that as-needed (PRN) anti-anxiety medications had appropriate stop dates for two residents reviewed for chemical restraints. One resident, admitted with diagnoses including dementia, major depressive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety disorder, unspecified psychosis, and insomnia, had active orders for clonazepam and lorazepam for anxiety, both lacking stop dates. Another resident, admitted with Alzheimer's disease and insomnia, had an active PRN order for lorazepam for agitation/restlessness without a stop date. According to the Director of Nursing, PRN psychotropic medications should have a 14-day stop date, and monitoring for these stop dates is the responsibility of nursing leadership. The facility's policy defines chemical restraint as a psychotropic medication used to treat identified medical symptoms, typically in PRN form.