What to do if a nurse is diverting narcotics?
What to do if a nurse is diverting narcotics?
If the person suspected of diverting is a nurse, pharmacist, physician, or other licensed healthcare professional: Report the healthcare worker to their professional licensure board within your state, such as the state Board of Nursing, Board of Pharmacy, or Medical Board.
What is the most commonly diverted drug?
opioids
Fentanyl — one of the most potent opioids — is the most commonly diverted drug, and is the lead opioid in causing deaths due to opioid overdoses. Diversion of opioids in injectable and oral forms is seen across all levels of an organization, from chiefs to frontline staff, and across all clinical disciplines.
What happens if a nurse is caught stealing narcotics?
As if losing your job and facing losing your RN license were not enough, the DEA or DA may press criminal charges against you for felony diversion of medication. That’s right, stealing medication is a felony and if the DEA or DA can prove you diverted, they will issue a warrant or arrest you.
What is meant by diversion of controlled substances?
Drug diversion is the illegal distribution or abuse of prescription drugs or their use for purposes not intended by the prescriber.
How do you deal with drug diversion?
- Provide thorough care. Diversion prevention begins with consistent and thorough care for every patient complaining of pain.
- Use patient medication agreements.
- Protect your prescriptions.
- Work with local pharmacists.
- Involve your staff.
- Play by the rules.
- Upholding the covenant.
What are the signs of drug diversion?
Medication diversion is all too common and can be difficult to spot, but look for these signs:
- Strange stories. Be wary of new patients with stories that don’t seem quite right.
- Reluctance to cooperate.
- Unusually high (or low) understanding of medications.
- Strange symptoms.
- Specific drug requests.
Which potential behaviors are associated with diverting medications?
Behaviors
- Wasting complete doses, wasting no doses, or heavy drug wasting.
- Failure to document waste.
- Frequently wasting drugs that never reach the patient (dropped medications, patient refusal, discontinued orders)
- Repeatedly wasting with the same person as a witness (called a “waste buddy”)
How do nurses divert narcotics?
Nurses may divert drugs by using false documentation, such as a medication doses not actually administered to the patient and instead used by the nurse. Theft of diverted controlled substances can occur from a medication dispensary, narcotic cabinet, or pharmacy.
Can nurses steal meds?
The drugs are often due to a habit, or they may find their way onto the black market. Most often, nursing home employees steal prescription drugs from the people supposedly in their care. These steps are motivated by addiction or by an intent to sell the pills for profit.
What do you do if someone steals your medication?
Drug Directions Speaking of pharmacists, they are required to report lost or stolen drugs. Federal regulations require that pharmacists and their employers to notify the DEA Field Division Office in their area of any theft or significant loss of any controlled substance.
What is the role of drug diversion?
Drug diversion is the def lection of prescription drugs from medical sources into the illegal market. Drug diversion increases the cost of the Medicaid program. It’s against the law to divert drugs—you can go to jail for it.
What is risk of diversion?
Risks associated with diversion include patient harm, negative publicity, financial loss and civil and regulatory liability. Many facilities track the movement of drugs within the institution by reviewing transaction and data analytics reports that are very valuable measures.
