Medications Left Unattended During Administration
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a nurse failed to follow professional standards during medication administration for a resident with progressive neurological conditions, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, and depression. The resident was assessed as cognitively intact and had a care plan allowing unsupervised self-administration of only a muscle rub, with interventions requiring assessment and documentation of the resident's ability to self-administer. However, during observation, a nurse placed nine oral medications in a cup and left them with the resident at a dining table, unsupervised, before leaving the area. Interviews revealed that the resident's responsible party was unaware of any order for self-administration of pills and stated the resident relied on staff for medication administration. Facility staff confirmed that only the muscle rub was approved for self-administration, and the administrator acknowledged that medications should not be left unattended due to the risk of access by other residents. Facility policy required staff to remain with the resident until all medications were taken, which was not followed in this instance.