Failure to Secure Resident Smoking Materials per Facility Policy
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to secure smoking materials in accordance with its smoking policy, which requires all resident smoking materials to be kept in a secure area (medication cart) and accessible only with staff assistance. One resident, who was cognitively intact and assessed and care planned as a safe, independent smoker with a preference to smoke at times of his choice, was found in his room with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter tucked under his shirt against his stomach. The resident reported that he smoked and acknowledged having his smoking materials in his possession in his room. Staff interviews revealed that the resident was expected to turn in his smoking materials to staff after each smoking episode so they could be locked in the medication cart. Nursing staff, including a nurse, a nurse aide, and a medication aide, stated that the resident typically obtained his cigarettes and lighter from staff before going to the designated smoking area and returned them afterward, and that he was aware he was not allowed to keep them. The DON and Administrator both stated that residents deemed safe independent smokers could go to the smoking area whenever they wanted, and that staff were responsible for ensuring smoking materials were returned and secured. However, they acknowledged that the resident likely retained his smoking materials after returning from smoking because no staff member was present at the medication cart, resulting in unsecured smoking materials in the resident’s possession in his room and a failure to follow the facility’s smoking policy.
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