Unsecured Storage of Medications in Unlocked Room
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to ensure that medications and biologicals were stored in a safe, secure, and proper manner. During an observation, it was found that the staff development room contained seven large boxes and a table full of prescription medication cards for residents who had been discharged, as well as additional medications stacked on the floor. There were also three large bags of medications ready to be returned, and a variety of creams, injectables, breathing treatments, and unused pills, tablets, and capsules. In total, at least 200 separate medications were found unsecured in the room. The Maintenance Supervisor confirmed that the staff development room was unlocked and contained a significant quantity of medications. The DON acknowledged that the room should have been locked and that the medications were awaiting return to the pharmacy for resident credit. Facility policy required that medications be stored safely, securely, and only accessible to authorized personnel, which was not followed in this instance. The unsecured storage of medications had the potential to affect 101 independently mobile residents out of a census of 142.