Proper management of nursing residents’ medication needs and safety does not happen on its own. It requires a commitment to safety and diligence by the nursing home’s administration and nursing staff. To ensure that a nursing home accurately manage the complexities and challenges of its residents medications:
- The nursing home administration must ensure that each resident’s medication is managed and reviewed by a physician, and that each resident has access to his or her own personal physician;
- The physician is responsible for providing and reviewing the medication orders and the total program of care at the time of a resident’s admission and at each subsequent examination of the resident;
- The nursing home administration must ensure that the physician approves the resident’s admission, reviews the resident’s care plan (especially medical services and medication management), participates in the resident’s assessment and care planning, monitors changes in the resident’s medical status, and is available to consult or treat when called upon by the facility; and
- If a physician is unavailable or does not respond to any call for service, the nursing home must have another physician available to supervise the patient’s medical care.
Whether the particular nursing home has a proper system place is a critical issue when a resident has been harmed as a result of a nursing home’s failure to provide the right medication, in the right amount, at the right time. The following blogs in this series will outline how we investigate cases of mismanaged medication.
For the other parts in this series, click on the following:
Mismanaged Medications in Nursing Homes: An Overview (Part 1 of 6)
Mismanaged Medications in Nursing Homes: A Resident’s Medical Records and Medication History (Part 3 of 6)
Mismanaged Medications in Nursing Homes: Maintaing Adequate Staffing and Staffing Procedures (Part 4 of 6)
Mismanaged Medications in Nursing Homes: A Nursing Home and Its Pharmaceutical and Laboratory Services (Part 5 of 6)
Mismanaged Medications in Nursing Homes: Conclusion (Part 6 of 6)
The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients in cases involving catastrophic injury caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail to provide proper care. If you believe you or your loved one has suffered medication errors because the nursing home failed to do its job, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
