Unattended Medications Left in Resident Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure medications were stored and handled in a secure manner when a nurse left medications unattended in a resident’s room. A resident admitted with diagnoses including type 2 diabetes mellitus, spinal stenosis, anxiety disorder, and overactive bladder was observed when an RN entered the room carrying a medication cup containing various medications and a small tub of vanilla pudding. The RN placed the medications and pudding on the overbed table and then left the room, closing the door, while the resident began taking the medications using the pudding. The RN returned shortly afterward with a glass of water and confirmed in interview that she had left the medications unattended on the overbed table. Review of the facility’s undated policy titled “Storage of Medications” showed that drugs were to be stored in a safe, secure, and orderly manner, which was not followed in this instance. This deficiency affected one identified resident and had the potential to affect three residents the facility had identified as cognitively impaired and independently mobile.
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