Failure to Prevent Misappropriation of Resident's Narcotic Medication
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to prevent the misappropriation of a resident's property, specifically the loss of 28 doses of hydrocodone, a schedule II narcotic pain medication. The incident involved an LPN who was identified as having taken the medication after a nurse discovered the medication cartridge was empty and the pharmacy would not refill it due to it being too soon. A review of the narcotic count confirmed the missing doses. The resident involved reported receiving all pain medications and had no complaints regarding administration at the time of the interview. The Director of Nursing (DON) confirmed the misappropriation and stated that all nurses had been educated on narcotic reconciliation procedures. However, there was no documentation to support that this education had occurred, nor was there evidence that agency nurses had received any such training. Additionally, the DON acknowledged that there were no audits or follow-up measures in place to ensure compliance with narcotic reconciliation procedures, and no education was provided to agency nurses. The LPN involved refused to participate in an interview regarding the incident.