37.106.2848    MEDICATIONS: ADMINISTRATION AND PREPARATION

(1) All category A facility residents must self-administer their medication. Those category B facility residents that are capable of, and who wish to self-administer medications, shall be encouraged by facility staff to do so.

(2) Any direct care staff member who is capable of reading medication labels may be made responsible for providing necessary assistance to any resident in taking their medication, as defined in ARM 37.106.2805.

(3) Resident medication organizers may be prepared up to four weeks in advance and injectable medications as specified in (4) (c) by the following individuals:

(a) a resident or a resident's legal representative;

(b) a resident's family care giver, who is a person related to the resident by blood or marriage or who has full guardianship; or

(c) as otherwise provided by law.

(4) The individual referred to in (3) must adhere to the following protocol:

(a) verify that all medications to be set up carry a practitioner's current order;

(b) set up medications only from prescriptions in labeled containers dispensed by a registered pharmacist or from over-the-counter drug containers with intact, clearly readable labels; and

(c) set up injectable insulin up to seven days in advance by drawing insulin into syringes identified for content, date and resident. Other injectable medications must be set up according to the recommendations provided by the pharmacy.

(5) The facility may require residents to use a facility approved medication dispensing system or to establish medication set up criteria, but shall not require residents to purchase prescriptions from a specific pharmacy.

(6) No resident or staff member may be permitted to use another resident's medication.

History: Sec. 50-5-103, 50-5-226 and 50-5-227, MCA; IMP, Sec. 50-5-225, 50-5-226 and 50-5-227, MCA; NEW, 2002 MAR p. 3638, Eff. 12/27/02.