Medication Storage and Security Deficiencies
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to ensure proper storage and security of medications in several instances. Medications were found unsecured in the bathrooms of two residents, both of whom were cognitively intact but required staff assistance for activities of daily living. The medications observed included nasal spray, eye drops, cough syrup, ointment, antifungal cream, and zinc oxide cream. Additionally, a medication cart on one hall was left unlocked and unattended during medication administration. Further deficiencies were identified in the monitoring of medication refrigerator temperatures. Temperature logs for medication refrigerators on two separate halls were found to have multiple dates with missing entries, indicating that daily temperature checks were not consistently performed as required by facility policy. The Director of Nursing confirmed that these practices did not comply with facility protocols for medication security and storage.