Unattended and Unlocked Medication Cart
Penalty
No penalty information released
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Summary
A medication cart located in the 100 hall was observed to be left unattended and unlocked for approximately six minutes, during which time no nurse was present in the area and several residents were seen wandering nearby. The cart contained drugs and biologicals, and it was not secured until an LPN returned and was informed that the cart was unlocked. The LPN stated she had left to use the restroom and forgot to lock the cart. Review of the facility's policy indicated that medication carts are to remain locked except during medication or treatment administration. The Director of Nursing confirmed that leaving the cart unlocked was not consistent with facility policy and that staff are expected to lock the cart when it is unattended.