Prescription drug diversion among substance‐impaired pharmacists

Abstract

Efforts to address the problem of prescription drug abuse and diversion by pharmacists should be expanded in order to safeguard pharmacies and the patients they serve. Future research should extend this study to larger samples and assess best practices for decreasing prescription drug diversion by pharmacists with addiction.

Diversion of Controlled Drugs in Hospitals: A Scoping Review of Contributors and Safeguards

“…4,21,34,47,54,59,60 Expired drugs may be diverted from holding areas. 23,31,35 Complacency in the enforcement of wasting procedures Optimal practices may not be regularly reinforced (eg, drugs accidentally taken home in HCWs' pockets, 46 lack of adherence to proper drug wasting procedure 12 ).…”

Prescription opioid use, illicit drug use, and sexually transmitted infections among participants from a community engagement program in North Central Florida

“…Specifically, the rates of prescription drugs used non-medically are rising, now becoming one of the leading substance used (Dunn et al, 2013; Benotsch et al, 2011; Lankenau et al, 2012; Mackey, Liang, & Strathdee, 2013). The non-medical use of prescription drugs has been linked with accessibility (Lankenau et al, 2013; Merlo, Cummings, & Cottler, 2014). In 2012, the most recent year CDC data is available, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, the most frequently misused prescription drug (CDC, 2014).…”

Drug-caused deaths in Australian medical practitioners and health-care professionals

“…While illicit drug use in the cohort was observed in approximately 9% of cases (Table ), alcohol misuse was more common, reported as the primary cause of death in approximately 15% of cases where toxicology results were available. However, despite reports that suggest alcohol is the drug of choice for HCPs , most alcohol use was observed in the veterinary group alone. Alcohol commonly acted as a contributor to death rather than a casual factor, often used in combination with another central nervous system (CNS) depressant.…”

“…Drugs were reported as being obtained illicitly through the work‐place, either by theft or self‐prescription, in just under a fifth of cases. Although increased availability of prescription pharmaceuticals among HCPs is associated directly with increased misuse in this population, actual detection of drug diversion in the work‐place is uncommon . A number of solutions have been raised for better detection of addicted HCPs in the work‐place.…”

“…Health‐care professionals (HCPs), including medical practitioners, are not often viewed as an occupational cohort with a high risk of substance abuse. However, studies suggest that HCPs have a propensity for drug misuse and, consequently, an increased risk of fatal overdose . Data from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicated that in 2007, more than 100 000 practising doctors, nurses, medical technicians and health‐care aides were abusing and/or dependent on drugs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD, USA).…”