Improper Storage of Medications and Biologicals in Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that medications and biologicals were not stored in a safe and sanitary manner in one medication cart. During an inspection of the 2nd floor medication cart with an LPN, four one-dollar bills were found folded in the top left drawer, and the LPN was unable to identify the owner of the money. In the third left drawer, an open bottle of hand sanitizer with a pump was stored in the same compartment as a nebulizer treatment for inhalation. The LPN acknowledged that the hand sanitizer should not have been stored with medications and removed it immediately. The Director of Nursing confirmed that money should not be kept in medication carts and that cleaning supplies should not be stored with medications. Facility policy requires that disinfectants and drugs for external use be stored separately from internal and injectable medications.