Failure to Follow Physician Order for Medication Administration with Meals
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when the facility failed to follow a physician's order for a resident with multiple diagnoses, including GERD, cognitive communication deficit, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and generalized anxiety disorder. The physician's order, dated 01/29/25, specified that all appropriate medications should be administered with food or a snack. On the day of observation, the resident reported having already eaten his meal but had not yet received his morning medications, expressing a preference to receive them with his meal to avoid stomach irritation. During interviews, an LPN stated that she considered the order to be a nursing order rather than a physician's order and believed it should have been discontinued after the resident's recent hospital stay. The LPN acknowledged discussing medication administration with the resident upon his return from the hospital and indicated she should have discontinued the order, as she believed it was no longer necessary. However, the resident continued to express a preference for receiving medications with meals, particularly in the morning, which was not being honored at the time of the survey.