Expired Medications Found on Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
Expired medications were found on the station one medication cart during an observation, specifically one bottle of Melatonin 1mg and one bottle of Aspirin 325mg, both expired as of 08/2025. The facility's policy requires nursing staff to maintain medication storage areas and ensure that discontinued, outdated, or deteriorated medications are removed and handled according to pharmacy instructions. However, these expired medications remained on the cart past their expiration date. During interviews, an LVN stated that it was the medication aide's responsibility to ensure expired medications were not present, but since there was no medication aide at the time, the LVN acknowledged it was his responsibility while passing medications. The DON confirmed that both medications were expired and stated that staff are expected to check medications prior to administration to ensure they are not expired. The presence of expired medications on the cart indicated a failure to follow established procedures for medication management.