Expired Medications and Supplies Not Removed from Medication Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that expired medications and biologicals were properly disposed of in the medication room, as required by facility policy and professional standards. During an observation, multiple expired items were found, including blood collection needles, various supplements (multivitamins, magnesium with calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E, iron), non-steroidal pain relievers, allergy medications, oral pain relief gel, moisture mouth gel, dairy lactase enzyme supplements, and a glucose control solution kit. Some of these items had been expired for several months, and both partial and full bottles were stored together, contrary to best practices. Interviews with staff revealed a lack of clarity regarding responsibility for checking and removing expired medications. One LPN stated that expired medications should not have been stored with non-expired ones and that there was no assigned person to routinely check for expired items. The administrator confirmed that oversight should be provided by the Director of Nursing Services and that a process should exist for nurses to perform regular checks and dispose of expired medications, but this process was not being followed.