Failure to Discard Outdated Medications and Secure Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to properly manage and secure medications in accordance with its own policies and professional standards. In two medication rooms, open vials of Tubersol were found either without an open date or with an open date that exceeded the manufacturer's recommended discard period. Specifically, one vial lacked any indication of when it was opened, making it impossible for staff to determine if it was still safe for use, while another vial was observed to have been open beyond the 30-day discard period. Staff interviews confirmed that these vials should have been discarded and that the facility's policy required proper labeling and timely disposal of multi-use vials. Additionally, a medication cart was observed left unlocked and unattended in a hallway while an LPN went into a pantry to obtain a glass of milk for a resident. Medications were left on top of the cart, and the cart was not within the LPN's line of sight during this time. The LPN confirmed that the cart should have been locked and that medications should not have been left unsecured or out of view, as per facility policy. These actions resulted in the potential for unauthorized access to medications.