Finding Description
**NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** Based on interviews and record reviews, the facility failed to obtain medications and insulin from the facility's emergency dispensary machine and failed to administer medications as prescribed for 2 (R1, R2) of 4 newly admitted residents reviewed for improper nursing care. This failure resulted in R1 not receiving ordered pain medication on admission and experiencing pain level of 10 on a pain scale of 0 to 10.
Findings include:
R1's diagnosis include but are not limited to Diabetes, Disease of the Spinal Cord and Low back Pain.
1. On 4/22/23 at 8:40 AM, R1 stated, I was admitted on 1/5 at 6PM. I was discharged on 1/25/23 back home with my husband. I had major surgery on my spine, needed therapy at the rehab center. Upon my admission, I did not receive my pain medication [hydrocodone], diabetes insulin medication, or heart medications until the next day. Throughout my stay, I did not receive my heart medication or pain meds daily as well.
On 5/2/23 at 9:11 AM, R1 stated, I was in the hospital for spine surgery. I went to the facility for rehab services. When I arrived at the facility, I was in a lot of pain due to the bumpy ride from the hospital. The nurse told me that my pain mediation was unavailable. I explained to the nurse that my pain was a ten on a pain scale 0-10. My pain was so bad that I felt out of my mind. R1's medication administration record documents R1 received pain medication on 1/14/23 at 1:30 am, 9 days after admission.
R1's medical record documents in part, face sheet: admitted on [DATE] at 6:41 PM. Physician orders:
-Lantus 100 unit/ml inject 32 units into skin SQ (subcutaneous) daily at bedtime, order date 1/5/23, start date 1/5/23, end date 1/7/23. Electronic Medication Administration Record (EMAR) documents medication was not given on 1/5/23.
-Levemir 100 unit/ml vial inject 32 units into skin SQ daily at bedtime, order date 1/5/23, start date 1/7/23. EMAR documents medication was not given on 1/7/23, and 1/9/23.
-Atorvastatin 20mg take by mouth daily at bedtime, order date 1/5/23, start date 1/5/23.EMAR documents medication was not given on 1/5/23, 1/7/23, 1/9/23, and 1/15/23.
-Norvasc (Amlodipine) 5mg by mouth daily, order date 1/5/23, start date 1/5/23. EMAR documents medication was not given on 1/7/23, 1/8/23, 1/11/23, and 1/17/23.
-Lisinopril 40mg take one tablet by mouth daily, order date 1/5/23, start date 1/5/23. EMAR documents medication was not given on 1/7/23, 1/8/23, 1/11/23, and 1/17/23.
-Norco (Hydrocodone) 7.5mg/325mg [milligrams] take one tablet by mouth twice a day at 6AM, and 2PM scheduled with no stop date, order date 1/13/23. EMAR documents medication was not given on 1/14/23 at 6AM, 1/17/23 at 6AM, 1/19/23 at 2PM, 1/23/23 at 2PM.
-Norco (Hydrocodone) 7.5mg/325mg [milligrams] take one tablet every four hours as needed for pain, order date 1/5/23. EMAR R1 received documents the medication on 1/14/23 at 1:30 am.
R1 Progress notes dated 1/5/23 through 1/25/23, no nursing documentation that medication was not given. Minimum data set-brief mental interview documents score is 15, indicates R1 is cognitively intact.
Care plan dated 1/5/23 R1 has the following: potential for alteration in blood pressure; give medication as ordered, potential for hypo/hyperglycemia related to diabetes; medication as ordered and monitor blood glucose levels, impaired mobility related to cervical radiculopathy, myelopathy, status post cervical spinal surgery-chronic back pain; offer/provide pain medications.
On 4/22/23 at 3:14 PM, V2 (Director of Nursing) stated, Newly admitted residents to the facility after 3:00PM, sometimes their medications may not have been delivered from pharmacy by the due time. My expectation for the nurses, if the medications are scheduled while the resident is in the building, they should receive their medications. By accessing the emergency medication machine or the emergency insulin box. If the needed medication is not available in the emergency medication machine, the nurse should call and notify the pharmacy, and the physician to see if there is a substitute available or received a new order. The new orders and the reason why the medication was not given should be documented in the resident's progress notes. According to R1's face sheet, R1 was admitted to this facility on 1/5/23 at 6:41 PM. R1's EMAR for January 2023 the following medications: Dated 1/5/23- atorvastatin 20mg, to take by mouth at bedtime (8PM) V8 (Registered Nurse) documented N which means the medication was not given, and 1/5/23, -Lantus 100unit/ml, inject 32 units subcutaneous at bedtime, V8 documented N which means the insulin was not given. I am not sure why V8 did not administer R1 medication or insulin. On 1/6/23, I went in to meet with R1, and introduced myself, R1 did not express any concerns regarding not receiving her evening insulin or medication on 1/5/23.
2. On 4/22/23 at 10:41 AM, R2 stated, I cannot remember when a was admitted , if I received all my medications. My admission process went smoothly, I arrived at the facility around 6PM.
R2's medical record documents in part: face sheet, admitted on [DATE] at 7:39 PM. Physician orders:
-Levemir 100 unit/ml vial inject 28 units into skin SQ daily at bedtime, order date 2/16/23, start date 2/17/23. Hospital medication form dated 2/16/23, documents to give Levemir on 2/16/23 at 9PM, EMAR documents medication was not given on 2/16/23.
-Morphine (MS Contin) 12hour tablet 30mg every 12 hours scheduled (9AM, 9PM), documented on Hospital medication form dated 2/16/23, EMAR documents medication was not given on 2/16/23 at 9PM, 2/18/23 at 9AM, and 2/22/23 at 9PM.
-Gabapentin 300mg capsule one cap by mouth at bedtime order date 2/16/23, start date 2/17/23, Hospital medication form dated 2/16/23, documents to give Gabapentin on 2/16/23 at 8:00 PM, EMAR documents medication was not given on 2/16/23.
R2 Progress notes dated 2/16/23 through 2/28/23, no nursing documentation that medication was not given. Minimum data set-brief mental interview documents score is 15, indicates R2 is cognitively intact.
Care plan dated 2/16/23, R2 has the following: Alteration in cardiovascular related to atrial fibrillation; give medications as ordered. Potential for alteration in blood pressure related to diagnosis of hypertension; give medications as ordered. Potential for hypo/hyperglycemia related to diabetes; give medications as ordered, monitor blood glucose as ordered. Alteration in comfort related to right hip pain, adenocarcinoma of lungs, rheumatoid arthritis; administer pain medication as ordered.
3. On 4/22/23 at 11:06 AM the surveyor, V3 (Agency Registered Nurse) and V4 (Registered Nurse) entered a locked clean utility room. V4 accessed the emergency medication machine and retrieved R4's hydrocodone 5/325mg (1-tablet) using a code from pharmacy.
On 4/22/23 at 11:10 AM V4 stated, I been working here for 20 years. If a diabetic resident does not have their insulin available, I would call pharmacy for the insulin to be placed on the next delivery. However, if the resident blood glucose is high, I would borrow from another resident to save their life. The facility does not have any house stock or emergency stock of insulin available to use. In the medication med room, we have apple juice, orange juice and milk available to give to the residents that blood glucose level is slightly low.
On 4/22/23 at 12:30 PM, V5 (Registered nurse) stated, There is always medication available, for heart medication, pain, or insulin. The heart medications and pain meds are stored in the facility's emergency medication machine. The insulin is stored on the first-floor medication room locked refrigerator. Surveyor and V5 entered the first-floor medication room. In the locked refrigerator, observed a clear locked container with Lantus, NovoLog, Levemir, Humalog, Novolin -R, Novolin -N, Novolin 70/30 insulins available.
On 4/23/23 at 12:08 AM, V8 (Registered Nurse) stated, I work the night shift. I signed out R1's dated 1/5/23- atorvastatin 20mg, to take by mouth at bedtime and documented N which means the medication was not given, and 1/5/23, -Lantus 100unit/ml, inject 32 units subcutaneous at bedtime and I documented N which means the medication was not given. I only signed out the medication, because there was an agency nurse working and completed a paper documentation that V2 (Director of Nursing) keeps record of the papers. The paper EMARs V2 has, it will show that those medications were not given by the agency nurse. The agency nurse had to tell me that the medication was not administered in order for me to document that on the EMAR. The facility has an emergency medication machine and available emergency insulin. However, it was not my medication to give on the shift ahead of mine.
4/23/23 at 11:04 AM, V2 (Director of Nursing) stated, I found the paper medication administration record (MAR) for R1 that shows on 1/7/23 R1 did receive Levemir insulin from an agency nurse. The description column does document Lantus 100unit/ml to give 32 units at bedtime. However, Levemir and Lantus insulin are the same. The agency nurse was unable to discontinue the Lantus insulin order and write a new order for the Levemir insulin. R1's original MARs for January 2023, documents R1 did not receive Lantus insulin 100 unit/ml dose to give 32 units at bedtime (order start dated 1/5/23, end date 1/7/23), on 1/5/23, and 1/7/23. Agency staff is not in the system to complete admission documentation for a new resident. Only the staff nurses can complete new or re-admissions orders. There were multiple staff nurses completing R1, and R2's admission documentation including placing in physician orders. There was miscommunication between the staff nurses that completed the admissions and the agency nurses who was overseeing R1 and R2's care. Therefore, the agency nurses did not know to give certain medications that was due on those evenings. A newly admitted resident with a diagnosis of diabetes, staff should take and record the residents blood glucose level and administer insulin if not, it could potentially cause the resident blood glucose levels to be low or high above the normal limits. If a resident does not receive prescribed medications, it could potentially cause adverse symptoms to the resident, such as increase in blood pressure, or pain.
On 4/22/23 at 10:00 AM requested full list of the emergency medication machine inventory list from V2. Received pages 20, 21, and 22 dated 6/21/2019.
On 4/23/23 at 9:00 AM requested a full list of the emergency medication machine inventory list from V2. Received pages 8-14 dated 4/13/23. Surveyor did not receive the completed inventory list.
Policies Reviewed: Documents in part
Documentation of Medication Administration dated 1/22: Nurses shall document the medications administered to each resident on the resident's medication administration record. Follow physician orders as prescribed.
Nursing Care of the Resident with Diabetes: Monitor and record blood glucose levels as prescribed and document the level. The physician will order the frequency of glucose monitoring. The management of individuals with diabetes should follow relevant protocols and guidelines.