Medication Storage Deficiency: Unsecured Medication Left at Bedside
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a medication, specifically fluticasone propionate nasal suspension, was left unsecured on a resident's bedside table without a physician's order for self-administration or for medications to be left at bedside. The resident, who had diagnoses including morbid obesity, chronic respiratory failure with hypoxia, Type I diabetes mellitus, COPD, and CHF, was not present in the room at the time the medication was observed. The medication was found with the prescription box, clearly labeled with the resident's name, and accessible in the resident's absence. Interviews confirmed that nursing staff, including an LPN, left the medication at the bedside after morning administration, despite facility policy requiring a physician's order for self-administration or bedside storage. The resident reported that nurses often left her medication on the bedside table. Review of the medical record and facility policy further substantiated that there was no authorization for this practice, resulting in non-compliance with requirements for proper medication storage.