Failure to Secure and Properly Store Resident Medications
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that drugs and biologicals were properly secured and labeled in accordance with professional standards. Multiple residents were found to have medications, including controlled substances such as Norco, as well as over-the-counter drugs and topical creams, stored at their bedsides in unlocked drawers or on bedside tables. These medications were brought from home or kept by the residents without proper physician orders or assessments authorizing self-administration or bedside storage. In several cases, medications were unlabeled, and there was no documentation or order for the medications to remain at the bedside. Staff interviews confirmed that there were no physician orders or assessments for any of the residents to keep medications at their bedside, and the facility's own policy required all drugs and biologicals to be stored safely and securely. Despite this, staff allowed residents to retain medications in their rooms, and in one instance, a nurse only removed a controlled substance after a physician's round, but other medications remained unsecured. The lack of proper storage and documentation was observed in five out of five residents reviewed for medication storage.