Failure to Monitor Vitals Before Administering Cardiovascular Medication
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a registered nurse administered Metoprolol Tartrate 25 mg to a resident diagnosed with atherosclerotic heart disease, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation without first checking the resident's systolic blood pressure or heart rate as required by the physician's order. The order specifically directed that the medication should be held if the systolic blood pressure was less than 100 or the heart rate was less than 60. During observation of the medication administration, it was confirmed that the nurse did not perform these checks prior to giving the medication. The facility's policy on administering medications requires verification of the right resident, medication, dosage, time, and method, but does not specifically address the monitoring required by the physician's order in this case.