Failure to Assess Resident for Self-Administration of Medications
Penalty
Summary
A resident admitted with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and left eye blindness was observed to have five bottles of eye drops and two vials of insulin on her bedside table. The resident reported that a nurse provided these medications at 6 AM for her to self-administer, and she confirmed that she had been self-administering both her insulin and eye drops since admission. The resident also stated she refilled her insulin pump and administered her eye drops before attending physical therapy that morning. Upon review, the Director of Nursing (DON) stated she was unaware that the resident had been self-administering medications. The facility's policy requires the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) to assess a resident's ability to self-administer medications and document this in the medical record and care plan if deemed safe and appropriate. The DON confirmed that the IDT had not conducted this assessment for the resident prior to the survey, resulting in a failure to follow facility policy regarding self-administration of medications.