Recommendations for Your Drug Diversion Program: Tools from ISMP
“Drug diversion impacts more than just those who divert. The true cost of drug diversion includes considerable risk to patients.” - Institute For Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
Drug diversion is a problem everywhere, and the risks are real. The deflection of controlled substances from medical sources, whether for personal use or for redistribution, does more than just increase the cost of healthcare. Drug diversion can hurt patients.
Drug diversion can result in missed doses of needed medication, care from impaired healthcare workers, and even infection from adulterated products.
Taking a proactive approach to preventing, identifying, reporting, and responding to drug diversion requires adequate resources. Just culture principles that focus on system fixes and prevention are critical for an effective drug diversion approach, resulting in solutions that enhance, rather than detract from, an organization’s culture of safety.
Resources from ISMP
If you’re looking to build a drug diversion program, or strengthen an existing one, check out the following resources from ISMP:
Additional Resources to Consider
ISMP. 2023. “Controlled Substance Drug Diversion by Healthcare Workers as a Threat to Patient Safety—Part I.” ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute Care 28 (4): 5. https://www.ismp.org/resources/controlled-substance-drug-diversion-healthcare-workers-threat-patient-safety-part-i
ISMP. 2023. “Controlled Substance Drug Diversion by Healthcare Workers as a Threat to Patient Safety—Part II.” ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute Care 28 (5): 5. https://www.ismp.org/resources/controlled-substance-drug-diversion-healthcare-workers-threat-patient-safety-part-ii
ISMP. 2023. “Part I: The Pursuit of Prevention – Confronting Drug Diversion.” ISMP Webinars. February 15, 2023. https://www.ismp.org/events/part-i-pursuit-prevention-confronting-drug-diversion
ISMP. 2023. “Part II: Reducing the Risk and Infection Outbreaks from Drug Diversion.” ISMP Webinars. March 15, 2023. https://www.ismp.org/events/part-ii-reducing-risk-and-infection-outbreaks-drug-diversion
