Unsecured Medication and Treatment Carts Accessible to Residents
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to ensure proper storage and security of medications and medical equipment on multiple occasions. On one occasion, a CNA-M left an unlocked and unattended medication cart in the dining/activity area of a locked Special Care Unit for residents with advanced cognitive impairment. While the CNA-M was administering medications to a resident seated away from the cart, another resident in a wheelchair approached the cart, placed a hand on the lock and a drawer, and then moved away. The CNA-M admitted to not keeping the cart keys with her and confirmed the cart was left unlocked and unattended, a fact also verified by the ADON. On two separate days, a treatment cart containing syringes, lancets, medicated creams, ointments, and powders was observed left unattended and unlocked in a resident hallway. Multiple residents and staff passed by the cart, and the Charge Nurse confirmed the cart did not have a lock. On another occasion, the same type of cart was secured only with a swivel snap hook, not a locking device, and was accessible to residents. The DON acknowledged that the cart required a lock to secure the drawers, and surveyors confirmed the lack of proper security for the treatment cart and its contents.