Medication Cart Left Unlocked and Unattended
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a medication cart assigned to the 400 Hall Med-Aide was observed to be unlocked and unattended. The Med-Aide responsible for the cart was not present on the unit at the time of the observation. This was confirmed through interviews with the Med-Aide, who acknowledged awareness of the requirement to lock the medication cart when not in use, and with the Director of Nursing (DON) and Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON), both of whom stated that medication carts should always be locked when unattended to prevent unauthorized access. A review of the facility's policy on medication administration and cart security, dated 10/01/19, indicated that medication carts are to be locked at all times when not in use and should not be left unlocked or unattended in resident care areas. The failure to secure the medication cart as per policy was directly observed and confirmed by staff interviews and policy review.