The Issue
If your resident’s 1823 form identifies that they need assistance with their medications, they cannot have any medications in their rooms (even if it’s over the counter). The facility must centrally store all medications.
It sounds simple to make sure that your facility is compliant with this medication regulation. But depending on the size of your facility it may not be that simple and may require a system that ensures this regulation is met.
Causes of Not Meeting This Regulation
1. You have residents that go in and out of the facility on their own and like to go shopping for themselves and other residents.
Resident A Has a cough and goes to the pharmacy and gets some cough medicine on his own, doesn’t inform staff and keeps it in their room.
Resident B Has been feeling sore and goes to the grocery store and brings back some Advil and Muscle cream without informing facility staff, and keeps it in their room.
- A resident’s family brings in over the counter medications for the resident. They figure it’s just over the counter medicine, so it’s not a problem if the resident keeps it in the room.
Resident C Family brings in a bottle of Gas-X to Resident C because they called and said they needed them. The family doesn’t inform the staff and the resident keeps it in their nightstand for when they need it.
Take time to review your system, to help prevent your facility from being cited by AHCA as a result of the surveyor finding medications in a resident’s room.
1.In-service all your direct care staff to be very vigilant and be on the lookout for medications in resident rooms. If they observe any medications, they must inform management right away.
3. Keep track of residents who have had issues with medications in their rooms in the past, as these are highly likely to be repeat offenders.
3.Schedule room inspections to make sure there are no medications in resident rooms.
4. Send out facility reminders by mail, or email, to resident family members, reminding them periodically not to bring any medications directly to the residents.