Improper Medication Disposal and Unauthorized Storage in Medication Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the safe disposal of medications and to reduce the risk of drug diversion. During observations in two medication rooms, pharmaceutical waste containers were found to contain medications in both pill and liquid forms that were still identifiable and could be retrieved by hand. Pills were left in their original packaging and liquid medications remained in their bottles, rather than being removed and mixed with an undesirable substance as required by facility policy. Multiple staff, including a licensed nurse and the Director of Staff Development, confirmed that the medications should not have been recognizable or retrievable once discarded, and that the observed disposal practices did not comply with established procedures. Additionally, a staff member's personal backpack was found stored under the sink in a medication room, despite a posted sign prohibiting personal items in that area. Both the licensed nurse and the Director of Nursing acknowledged that personal items should not be present in the medication room due to the risk of theft, misuse of medications, or drug diversion. Facility policy requires that medications and biologicals be stored safely and securely, accessible only to authorized personnel, and that the medication room remain free of unauthorized personal belongings.