Improper Bedside Storage of Medications Without Authorization
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that two residents had medications, specifically Arnica cream and Vicks Vaporub, stored openly on their bedside tables in their rooms. These medications were accessible to the residents without any documented physician orders permitting self-administration, and there was no evidence that the residents had been assessed or approved by the facility's interdisciplinary team to self-administer medications. Staff interviews confirmed that neither resident had orders to self-administer, and that the facility's policy required medications to be stored in locked compartments unless a resident was specifically authorized and provided with a lock box for self-administration. Further review of facility policies indicated that bedside medication storage is only permitted with a prescriber's written order and after an assessment of the resident's ability to self-administer. Despite these requirements, both residents had medications at their bedsides without the necessary orders or assessments. Staff and the DON acknowledged that medications should not be left unattended at the bedside and confirmed that the observed practice was not in accordance with facility policy.