Drug Diversion: The Next Tsunami

By Greg Burger and Maureen BurgerLately, it seems the headlines are full of natural disasters – hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and earthquakes. When an earthquake happens near an ocean or large body of water, do we wait for the actual sighting of a tsunami to sound the alarms? No, there are sensors and warning systems that send a message to all potentially affected areas. So then why are we waiting for the DEA to show up at our doorstep before raising organizational awareness of the dangers regarding drug diversion? The prudent move would be to establish a system for prevention and detection of diversion, and send out the alarm to move to “higher” ground.

What are you waiting for, the wave to come crashing on shore? Why is drug diversion not a compliance emergency? Hospitals routinely participate in disaster drills of all sorts. We have crash carts on ready, personnel awareness on high alert, communications on overload, and a command center ready for action. It seems logical that a comprehensive drug diversion program should, on some level, follow a similar pattern. There should be a drug diversion command center (executive oversight committee) with a rapid response team. The executive oversight committee plays an important role in setting the tone for accountability and compliance throughout the organization. The organization’s board of directors should be educated and able to hold the organization’s leaders accountable. A “rapid response team” should be commissioned to provide support to front line managers by handling the important tasks of reviewing routine reports as well as managing suspected diversion events. All team members should know their roles and chain of command. Have your “disaster team” ready. A successful program also maintains a constant state of awareness for signs of drug diversion.

Take this opportunity to get your affairs and your “house” in order. Have an “evacuation” plan for when “the wave is coming to shore.” Make sure all staff is educated properly on an on-going basis about the signs and symptoms of impairment and drug diversion. Drug diversion education should be a requirement for all levels of staff, not just those with legitimate access to controlled substances. Empower your staff through education to report suspicious behavior or activity… “If you see something, say something!” Thoughtfully set out your “earthquake sensors.” The frequency of staff reporting concerns about drug diversion will surprise you. Inherently, the staff wants to do the right thing and protect their patients. Make it easy for staff to report via an anonymous tip line. Post signs about impaired behaviors and how to alert appropriate managers.

As mentioned earlier, we frequently have disaster drills… Why? To practice, practice, PRACTICE… and ingrain our behaviors and reactions so our response time is faster. Why not implement a similar approach to drug diversion by having your team practice different scenarios. You may even consider conducting unannounced drills. Take the opportunity to involve other team members to increase awareness. Use the drill as a learning experience to educate yourself and your staff.

The drug diversion tsunami is happening and no organization is immune. If you are not seeing it in your organization, you are not looking hard enough! The opioid epidemic that is happening in our communities involves the same pool of people we employ in our hospitals… think about it. If you have your “life boats and life jackets” ready, good for you. If you are waiting for the “tsunami sighting,” make this your wakeup call and start sounding the alarm!

Identify areas prone to “flooding,” your gaps and risk points. If you are not sure where to start, consider an external drug diversion consulting resource to assist. Sometimes our greatest risk points are those we see every day that has become the norm and go unrecognized. An external review can often quickly identify these risk points and help close the gap. In the end, a false alarm is better than a “100-foot wave.”

This article was originally published by one of our partners, Visante.

2021-01-26T16:45:03-06:00November 2nd, 2016|Categories: Drug Diversion|

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