Failure to Administer Medication Timely
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that medications were administered in a timely manner for one resident. According to the facility's Medication Administration policy, medications are to be given within one hour of the prescribed time unless otherwise specified. Review of the clinical record for a resident with a diagnosis of insomnia showed a physician's order for Doxepin HCl 30mg to be administered at bedtime, specifically scheduled for 8:00PM. The resident's care plan also included an intervention to administer medications as ordered by the physician. Interviews and record reviews revealed that the resident frequently did not receive the sleeping medication on time, with administration times often significantly delayed. The medication administration audit report documented multiple instances where the medication was given more than one hour after the scheduled time, including some occasions where it was administered several hours late, such as after midnight or even in the early morning. The Director of Nursing confirmed these late administration times and acknowledged that the medication should not have been given so late.