Medication Storage Policy Not Followed
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that medications were stored safely and in accordance with professional standards, as required by its own policy. During observations, an unopened package of Ipratropium-Albuterol Solution was found left on the bedside table of a resident on two separate occasions. The resident, who was cognitively intact and had diagnoses including wheezing and acute cough, confirmed that the medication belonged to her. According to the facility's policy, all medications are to be stored in locked compartments and only accessible to authorized personnel, with nursing staff responsible for maintaining safe storage practices. Interviews with facility staff, including an LPN and the Director of Nursing, confirmed that the medication should not have been left at the bedside and should have been stored in the locked medication cart. Both staff members acknowledged that it was the nurse's responsibility to ensure proper storage of medications. The failure to secure the medication as per policy constituted a lapse in maintaining professional standards of quality for medication storage.