Medications Left Unsecured at Bedside
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that medications were not properly stored and safeguarded in accordance with facility policy and professional standards. During an observation, a disposable cup containing seven loose pills was found on the bedside table of a resident. The facility's policy requires that medications and biologicals be stored safely, securely, and only accessible to licensed nursing or pharmacy personnel. The resident involved had a history of symptomatic epilepsy, epileptic syndromes with simple partial seizures, and unspecified dementia, and was assessed as moderately cognitively impaired with a BIMS score of 10 out of 15. The LPN assigned to the resident acknowledged that she had administered the medication but did not confirm ingestion, mistakenly assuming the resident had taken the pills after putting the cup to her mouth. The LPN admitted this was her first time working with the resident and recognized that medications should not be left at the bedside without ensuring they have been taken. The DON confirmed that nurses are expected to observe residents taking their medications and to discard and notify the physician if a resident refuses medication.