Failure to Safely Store Medications for Resident with Dementia
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a safe environment free from accident hazards by not properly storing prescribed topical medications for one resident diagnosed with Dementia. On two separate occasions, surveyors observed that two tubes of prescription medications (Venelex Ointment and Miconazole Nitrate) were left unattended and within the resident's reach, either on an over-the-bed table or nightstand, while the resident was alone in the room. The resident did not have an assessment or physician's order for self-administration of medications, and when asked, was unable to identify the medications. Facility policy requires that medications be stored safely and only accessible to authorized personnel, and that residents may only self-administer medications if assessed and approved by the interdisciplinary team with a physician's order. Interviews with nursing staff and the unit manager confirmed that the resident did not have the required assessment or order, and that medications should not have been left at the bedside, especially given the resident's cognitive impairment due to Dementia.