Improper Storage and Retention of Discharged Resident’s Medication in Unsecured Area
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency related to improper storage and handling of medications when a box of 5% lidocaine patches was found in an unsecured nursing supply shed. During observation, the medication box was seen on a shelf on top of diaper boxes in the shed, which was an area accessible to many people. The box was labeled with a resident’s name. The Director of Maintenance stated they had never seen the box before, did not know why it was there, and confirmed that medications should not be stored in the shed because many people had access to it. In a subsequent interview, the DON stated that medications are only supposed to be stored in medication carts and medication storage rooms, and confirmed that medications should not be stored in the shed, particularly since the box still had a resident’s name on it. The DON stated the medication belonged to a resident who had already been discharged from the facility and did not know why the medication was in the shed, suggesting that a staff member most likely grabbed the medication box and took it there. The DON characterized this as an unacceptable practice with a risk of medication diversion. Review of the facility’s 2023 Medication Storage policy showed that medications and biologicals are to be stored properly per manufacturer or supplier recommendations, accessible only to licensed nursing, pharmacy personnel, or staff lawfully authorized to administer medications, and that medications labeled for individual residents are to be stored separately from floor stock medications and not in the medication cart.
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