Unsecured Medications Left at Bedside for Two Residents
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a failure to secure and properly store medications when a cognitively intact resident admitted with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was found with two inhalers on her bedside table. The resident reported she had been admitted the previous day and that both the Breztri Aerosphere and Airsupra inhalers had been in her room since admission. She stated a nurse had administered the Airsupra inhaler and then left it in the room, and that the Breztri inhaler was awaiting approval by the respiratory therapist. The resident’s physician orders included both inhalers but did not include any order for medications to be kept at the bedside. Facility policy required all medications and biologicals to be stored in locked compartments, and the DON stated that medications brought from home should be given directly to the nurse and not left in resident rooms. In a separate instance, surveyors observed three tubes of a brand name topical analgesic 1% on the tray table of another resident who had moderate cognitive impairment and diagnoses including unspecified dementia, cognitive communication deficit, and major depressive disorder. This resident was unable to comment on the medication due to impaired cognitive function as documented in her care plan. The resident’s physician orders did not contain any order for the topical analgesic or for any medication to be kept at the bedside. These observations showed that medications were not secured in locked storage as required by facility policy and accepted professional principles.
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