Failure to Label Medications with Open Dates and Resident Identifiers
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to ensure medications and biologicals were properly labeled with open dates and resident identifiers, as required by professional standards and facility policy. During an inspection of a medication cart, multiple medications belonging to several residents were found without open dates, including inhalers, oral suspensions, ophthalmic solutions, and liquid supplements. Additionally, some unopened medications and eye drops lacked resident name labels. The Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) was present during the observation and began adding open dates to the medications that were missing them. The ADON also indicated a misunderstanding regarding the required dating of inhalers. The Director of Nursing (DON) later confirmed that the nurse assigned to the cart was new and had been educated on labeling practices by the usual nurse, who was on vacation. Record reviews for the affected residents showed that they had various diagnoses, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, myotonic muscular dystrophy, and hemiplegia, and were prescribed medications such as albuterol, Breo Ellipta, atropine sulfate, sucralfate, milk of magnesia, and bismuth subsalicylate. The facility's policy requires medications to be labeled in accordance with state and federal laws, as well as facility requirements. Despite this, the survey found multiple instances where medications were not labeled with open dates or resident names, constituting a failure to comply with labeling and storage regulations.