Expired Influenza Vaccines Found During Storage Review
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that all drugs and biologicals, specifically influenza vaccine single-dose, pre-filled syringes, were stored and labeled in accordance with accepted professional principles, including the presence of appropriate accessory and cautionary instructions and expiration dates. During an observation, five out of five influenza vaccine syringes were found to be past their expiration date. Interviews with an RN and the DON confirmed that the vaccines were expired and should have been discarded, but had not been. The DON also acknowledged that the facility did not have a policy addressing the handling of expired medications or vaccines, and that the only available policy on medication administration did not mention expiration dates.