Medication Storage and Labeling Deficiencies
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple failures in the facility's medication storage and labeling practices. On two separate occasions, both the medication cart and the treatment cart were found unlocked and unattended, with no nurse present. The medication cart contained medications accessible to unauthorized individuals, and the treatment cart contained medicated creams and wound dressings. Additionally, a narcotic box stored in the medication refrigerator was not permanently affixed, as required, and the Director of Nursing (DON) was unaware of this requirement. Further inspection of the medication cart revealed an open bottle of saline nasal spray with an open date exceeding one month and no manufacturer's expiration date, as well as loose pills found in the bottom drawer. The LPN present confirmed the nasal spray should not have been on the cart and that the loose pills should have been destroyed. The DON stated that the medication cart is checked monthly for loose pills, suggesting the pills had been dropped since the last check. These observations demonstrate a failure to ensure medications were properly labeled, stored securely, and not expired.