Failure to Secure Electronic Medical Records During Medication Administration
Penalty
Summary
A medication aide (MA) failed to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of a resident's personal and medical records by leaving a computer screen unlocked and unattended for four minutes. The computer displayed the resident's morning medication list, which was visible during this time. The MA stated she was unaware that locking the computer screen was necessary and believed that simply minimizing the screen was sufficient to protect the information. The resident involved was an elderly female with diagnoses including heart failure, kidney disease, and peripheral vascular disease, and had moderate cognitive impairment as indicated by a BIMS score of 11. The facility's policy required privacy to be maintained at all times for all resident information, but this was not followed during the medication administration process.