Medication Cart Left Unlocked and Unattended
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that all drugs and biologicals were stored in locked compartments and that only authorized personnel had access to them. During an observation, Medication Cart #1 was found unlocked and unattended in the 300 Hall, outside a resident's room and across from the nurses' station, with no staff present in the immediate area. Medication Tech A, who was responsible for two medication carts that day, admitted to forgetting to lock the cart when switching between carts. The Director of Nursing (DON) confirmed the cart was found unlocked and was unsure who was responsible until Medication Tech A acknowledged it was her oversight. Interviews revealed that Medication Tech A was trained to always lock medication carts and recognized the risk of leaving them unlocked, stating that a patient could access the medications. The Administrator confirmed that staff routinely receive in-services on medication administration and the importance of keeping medication carts locked. Despite requests, the facility's policy on locked medication carts was not provided during the survey.