Unlocked Medication Cart Left Unattended Near Residents
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency related to medication storage when they observed the 100 Hall nurse medication cart parked at the nurses' station with the lock popped out and all drawers, except the narcotic drawer, accessible. There were no staff members present at the cart, and multiple residents were seated in the front lobby near where the cart was parked. The facility's written policy on Storage of Medications stated that compartments containing drugs and biologicals, including carts, must be locked when not in use. During an interview, the LVN assigned to the 100 Hall cart acknowledged the cart was hers and stated she had not realized she failed to lock it after counting medications with the off‑going nurse. She confirmed she knew she was not supposed to leave the cart unlocked when she walked away and reported she had been in‑serviced on this requirement previously, though she could not recall when. In separate interviews, the DON and the Administrator both stated that medication carts should be locked when not in use so residents do not gain access to medications not prescribed to them, and that nurses had been previously educated and in‑serviced on this policy.
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