Failure to Administer Prescribed Antiarrhythmic Medication and Notify Physician
Penalty
Summary
Resident 1, who was admitted with multiple diagnoses including paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and unspecified atrial flutter, did not receive the prescribed antiarrhythmic medication, Amiodarone, for five consecutive days. The physician's order specified that the medication should be administered daily, but a review of the Medication Administration Record (MAR) confirmed that the medication was not given on the specified dates. The Director of Nursing (DON) verified that the medication was not available at the facility during this period and that the physician was not notified about the missed doses. Facility policies required medications to be administered according to prescriber orders and for the physician to be notified in the event of missed medications. Despite these policies, the nursing staff did not follow the physician's order for medication administration and failed to notify the physician when the medication was not available and not given. The DON acknowledged that the resident did not receive the prescribed medication for five days and that the physician should have been informed.