Unattended and Unlocked Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
A medication cart on hall 300 was observed to be unlocked and unattended, blocking the doorway in front of a resident's room. At the time of the observation, the assigned LPN was inside the room behind a closed curtain and could not see the medication cart. Facility policy requires that medication carts remain locked unless in direct view of the unit nurse, and that no medications should be left unattended. The LPN confirmed that the cart was not visible from their location and acknowledged that it should have been locked when unattended. The Director of Nursing also stated that medication carts should be locked and supervised at all times. This incident involved one of three medication carts used for dispensing medications in a facility housing 72 residents. The report does not mention any specific residents being directly affected or provide details about their medical history or condition at the time of the deficiency.