Failure to Check Expiration Date Before Administering Narcotic Medication
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a nurse failed to check the expiration date on a narcotic medication prior to administration for a resident with diagnoses including Parkinson's disease, chronic pain, and type 2 diabetes mellitus with polyneuropathy. The resident was receiving Morphine Sulfate Extended Release 15 mg tablets as part of a prescribed pain management regimen. During a review and observation of the medication cart, it was found that the blister pack of Morphine had an expiration date that had already passed, and the medication had been administered multiple times after this date. The nurse involved acknowledged not checking the expiration date before administering the medication and stated that this step should have been performed. Facility documentation showed that the medication was received from the pharmacy after the expiration date printed on the packaging, and the controlled substance disposition record confirmed that doses were administered from this pack after the listed expiration date. The facility's policy required nurses to check expiration dates before administering any medication and prohibited the administration of expired medications. The failure to verify the expiration date prior to administration led to the deficiency.