Medication diversion in the perioperative setting

Using Servant Leadership to Facilitate Healing After a Drug Diversion Experience

“…Much is noted in the literature on the subject of addiction in health care professionals. Journals are full of information related to those aspects of the health care environment that create opportunities to support addictive behaviors 1,7,9 . Managers are motivated to evaluate narcotic administration and documentation policies and to include strict enforcement of discard protocols 10 .…”

“…Managers are motivated to evaluate narcotic administration and documentation policies and to include strict enforcement of discard protocols 10 . The characteristics that are commonly seen in a professional with an addiction problem have been clearly articulated 7,4,11–13 . The processes for discovering drug diversion episodes are well conveyed, 4 and great efforts are underway nationally to facilitate the rehabilitation of addicted nurses 14 …”

“…Some studies estimate the rate of addiction in nursing to be approximately 6% to 8%, 3,4 while other studies indicate that drug abuse and addiction occurs in an estimated 20% of the population of health care professionals in general. [5][6][7] Claims exist that nurses are at greater risk for addiction than the general population, 3 but that is not clearly substantiated by research. Most researchers believe that the rates of addiction in nursing mirror the national addiction levels of 10% to 12%.…”

“…Journals are full of information related to those aspects of the health care environment that create opportunities to support addictive behaviors. 1,7,9 Managers are motivated to evaluate narcotic administration and documentation policies and to include strict enforcement of discard protocols. 10 The characteristics that are commonly seen in a professional with an addiction problem have been clearly articulated.…”

“…10 The characteristics that are commonly seen in a professional with an addiction problem have been clearly articulated. 7,4,[11][12][13] The processes for discovering drug diversion episodes are well conveyed, 4 and great efforts are underway nationally to facilitate the rehabilitation of addicted nurses. 14 Despite this plethora of information, however, little is said about the challenges faced by nurses left in the wake of a drug diversion incident.…”