Another Life lost
There has been a lot of chatter on list serves within the diversion prevention community about the nearly 8 gallons of fentanyl diverted from a New Hampshire hospital. The initial report stated, “At least 23 bags of the drug had been removed without being wasted or provided to patients”, but that number climbed to 583. […]
Read MoreMitigating 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 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 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 […]
Read MoreIs Your Facility Doing What is Required?
Failure to comply with obligations under the Controlled Substance Act has resulted in a settlement agreement of $4.5 million for a medical center in Texas. The majority of cases we hear about are for harm to patients, this one however is for harm to employees. You can read the details here, but the summary is […]
Read MoreSigns Your Anesthesia Provider May have a Substance Abuse Problem
It’s no news that anesthesia providers have stressful and demanding jobs. Occasional signs of sleep deprivation is normal, especially for those in residency training (well, probably more than occasionally!). What other signs, in addition to sleep deprivation, should we be watching for that may indicate a possible substance abuse problem? Frequent bathroom breaks Frequent absences […]
Read MoreSecond Victim
Those of you with experience in the area of patient safety or medication safety may be familiar with the term second victim. For those of you who may not be familiar with this term, second victims are health care professionals who are involved in an unanticipated adverse patient event, in a medical error and/or a […]
Read MoreWhat to Expect When the DEA Comes Knocking
Pharmacy is a world filled with regulations. The U.S. Department of Justice is just one agency enforcing some of those regulations, and they can show up at your pharmacy any time to confirm you are following the regulations. Here are the basics of what they are looking for. First, if they will always come with […]
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