The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) encourages skilled nursing facilities to take the following precautions for storing medications and supplies before a storm or natural disaster:
• Keep an up-to-date list of patients’ medications, including dose and indicated use
• Know how much medication the facility has on hand
• Obtain early refills if a facility anticipates access to their pharmacy will be disrupted
• Place medication bottles or packages in water-tight containers, such as plastic containers with lids, if there is a possibility of flooding or other water damage
• Have ice available for meds that need refrigeration
After a storm or disaster, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at FDA says facilities must inspect all drugs, as their effectiveness can be destroyed by high temperatures from fires. They also can become contaminated from exposure to flood or unsafe municipal water. Drugs requiring refrigeration, such as insulin and certain liquid antibiotics, should be discarded and replaced if electrical power had been off for a long time, unless they’re “absolutely necessary to sustain life.”
From the October 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
