Medication Cart Left Unlocked and Unattended
Penalty
No penalty information released
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a medicine cart was left unlocked and unattended during a medication pass. An LPN was observed preparing medication at the cart and then entered a resident's room, leaving the cart unsecured. Upon returning, the LPN acknowledged that the cart had been left unlocked. The facility administrator confirmed that the medication cart should have been locked when not in the nurse's direct line of sight. This incident presented an accident hazard and had the potential to affect more than a limited number of residents in the facility, which had a census of 65 at the time.