Medications Left at Bedside Without Orders or Evaluation for Self-Administration
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that medications were administered in accordance with professional standards of practice for one resident. Facility policy on Medication Administration, General Guidelines, dated January 2025, did not contain any expectation that employees administering medications must remain with the resident and observe ingestion. Review of the Pennsylvania Nursing Practice Act, Chapter 21.145, indicated that an LPN administers medications and carries out therapeutic treatments as ordered by an authorized practitioner. For the identified resident, clinical record review showed diagnoses of GERD without esophagitis and peripheral vascular disease. On observation, the resident was seen sitting in bed with eight pills left on the overbed table, including aspirin 81 mg, bupropion ER 150 mg, bupropion ER 300 mg, calcitriol 0.5 mcg, two tablets of vitamin B12 500 mcg, metoprolol 50 mg, and senna 8.5 mg. The resident reported that an LPN had left the medications there for her to take after she finished breakfast. Review of the physician’s orders did not show any order for self-administration of medications, and the care plan did not include a self-administration of medication plan. The clinical record also lacked any evaluation of the resident for self-administration of medications. The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed that the resident should not have had medications left at the bedside.
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