Mitigating Diversion
I recently read a blog by Dennis Tribble, a fellow pharmacist and IHFDA member, posted in ASHP titled Why do we talk about preventing diversion? I agree with his “rant” (his word not mine!). We use the word prevention when we talk about mitigating the risks for diversion, but we must be mindful of the fact […]
Read MorePolicies Surrounding Drug Tampering & Diversion
How explicit are your policies surrounding drug tampering and diversion? If I were to ask you what your facility does when there is a case of diversion, would the verbal process you give me match what is in policy? If it is not in policy, would your response be along the lines of “It’s just […]
Read MoreDrug Testing; Nail, Hair, or Urine?
There are many types of drug tests available, how do you know which one to use? Well, let’s look at the differences. Nail and hair drug testing have a long window of detection, making them an excellent way of testing for habitual drug use. The window for nail testing is 6-12 months and the window […]
Read MoreLarge Scale Patient Notification
In a previous blog, I talked about involving the Infection Preventionist in diversion of injectable medications because of their expertise in disease transmission and the public health impact. Should there be a case of disease transmission from an employee to a patient, does your facility have the following? written protocols for launching a large response […]
Read MoreIncluding the Infection Prevention Department
Do you have a solid drug diversion monitoring program? If you said yes, that’s great! For those of you that do have a monitoring program, how many of you have participation from the Infection Preventionist (IP) during a suspected case involving injectable medication? Any time there is diversion that involves injectable medications, we need to […]
Read MoreLooking for the Smoking Gun?
Every now and then when performing a diversion investigation, you will find the smoking gun. One that is so hot you don’t need the healthcare worker to admit to diversion in order to be 100% convinced they are diverting. However, 99.9% of the time, you will not find that smoking gun early on. And by […]
Read MoreWhat is Considered Significant Loss?
I was listening to a lecture on controlled substance loss and theft. They mentioned the need to report any significant loss to the DEA. Significant loss or theft must be reported to the DEA within 1 day of the loss or discovery. These guidelines are clear; however, I have seen the question come up over […]
Read MoreWords Matter
Unintentionally, when talking about addiction, many people use language that is stigmatizing. In today’s time, we understand that addiction is a chronic, treatable, medical condition. Referring to substance abuse as a medical condition will help reduce the stigma and hopefully lead to those with a substance abuse disorder being more willing to seek treatment. Rather […]
Read MoreThe Drug Diversion Triad
I recently heard a conference speaker, Maureen Burger, talk about the Drug Diversion Triad. All three parts of the triangle must exist before the healthcare worker commits diversion. The three parts of the triangle are Pressure or Motivation, Rationalization or Justification, and Opportunity. Pressure can come from external sources such as a financial need or […]
Read MoreEducation Surrounding a Facility’s Diversion Program
An important component to a comprehensive diversion program is educating staff on the elements of the program. Education surrounding what diversion looks like, why prevention measures need to be put in place, why monitoring for diversion is important, and the expectations of staff. Additional education is needed for supervisors and managers that will be reviewing […]
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