Preventing Medication Theft in Senior Living

Angie Szumlinski
|
August 20, 2024
Nurse with syringe and vial of medication.

“Florida nurse pleads guilty to stealing nearly 450 vials of fentanyl and replacing them with saline”; “Houston Methodist nurse accused of stealing drugs including Fentanyl, swapping vials and syringes with saline”; “New victim of alleged pill theft at metro Atlanta senior living facility speaks out.” Preventing medication theft in senior living almost seems like an epidemic, right? What is going on? What happened to the sense of security people used to have, knowing that the “nurse” will help?

One of the nurses charged with drug diversion told authorities that “I hear voices telling me to do it.” Another nurse was quoted as saying that she went through withdrawals on her weekend from work. Frightening? Yes! Another interesting point was that in at least one of these events, the nurse was recorded on a video camera removing medications from the “pyxis” (automated medication dispensing system). Another example of cameras not necessarily discouraging bad behavior!

At the end of the day, we are in a moral dilemma. We have patients needing pain medication who are receiving inadequate care; saline doesn’t quite fix pain. We also have licensed, professional nurses in need of help. What these nurses did is criminal without a doubt, but what are we doing to prevent these things from happening in the future? Do you have checks and balances? Are narcotic counts being done with the oncoming and outgoing nurses every shift? Is your pharmacy performing audits and reconciling all controlled substances? Preventing medication theft in senior living facilities requires diligence, support systems, and effective security measures. What are you doing to identify nurses with addiction so that you can provide support and resources? Not easy, but worth every minute! Stay well and stay informed!

For more information:

Welcome – Drug Diversion A to Z (foleon.com) 


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