Unattended and Unlocked Medication Cart
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 occurred when a medication cart was observed unlocked and unattended in front of a resident's room. The incident was noted during an observation at 8:22 AM, when the cart was left without supervision. Upon interview, a registered nurse confirmed that the cart was not locked and acknowledged that it should have been secured for safety reasons, as leaving it open could allow unauthorized access to medications. The nurse explained that the staff member responsible for the cart was inside a resident's room at the time. Review of the facility's policy indicated that medications are required to be stored in secured carts or drawers at all times when not in use.