Failure to Honor Resident's Right to Self-Administer Medication
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to honor a resident's right to self-administer medication as outlined in both its own policies and regulatory requirements. According to the facility's Resident Rights and Self-Administration by Resident policies, residents who wish to self-administer medications may do so if deemed clinically appropriate by the interdisciplinary team and with a prescriber's order. A review of one resident's clinical record showed that the resident, who was cognitively intact with a BIMS score of 15 and had diagnoses including hypertension, anxiety, and irritable bowel syndrome, had repeatedly requested to self-administer his medications. The resident also indicated understanding of the facility's requirements and had a locked drawer available for medication storage. Despite these requests and the resident's cognitive capability, there was no documentation that the facility followed the necessary steps to assess or facilitate the resident's right to self-administer medication. Interviews with the DON confirmed that the facility did not allow any residents to self-administer medications, citing paperwork and a lack of precedent as reasons. This resulted in the resident not being afforded the right to self-administer medication, as required by facility policy and state regulation.