Expired and Unlabeled Medications Found in Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors found that expired medications were stored in one of five medication carts reviewed, specifically the 300 Hall Medication Cart. During an observation, three bottles of Children's Acetaminophen Oral Solution with expiration dates of 9/24/2024 and one opened bottle of Chlorhexidine Gluconate Oral Rinse without an expiration date were discovered in the cart. The nurse present at the time was unaware of the expired and unlabeled medications and acknowledged that such items should not be present in the medication cart. Interviews with facility leadership revealed that pharmacy technicians were responsible for monthly audits of medication carts for expired medications, while night shift nurses were expected to check the carts weekly. However, there was no designated day for these weekly checks, and both the DON and Administrator confirmed that expired medications should not be present in the carts. The presence of expired and unlabeled medications indicated that the established procedures for checking and removing expired drugs were not consistently followed.