Unsecured Medications and Unlocked Medication Carts
Penalty
Summary
Medications and biologicals were found unsecured on the second floor south nursing unit. At 5:15 AM, 15 medication cards were observed sitting openly on the nursing station desk with no staff present, while a resident was ambulating nearby. Additionally, two medication carts parked near the station were found unlocked, with drawers containing resident medications accessible and unattended. An LPN confirmed that the medications delivered by the pharmacy at approximately 4:00 AM should have been secured and not left on the desk. The LPN also acknowledged that the medication carts should have been locked when unattended. The Director of Quality Assurance further confirmed that facility policy requires medication carts to be locked when not attended and that medications should not be left unsecured on the desk.