Health care's hidden epidemic
A call to action on hospital drug diversion
The opioid epidemic has reached unprecedented depths – Americans are now more likely to die from opioid overdoses than car accidents, according to a 2019 analysis by the National Safety Council. While other aspects of this devastating public health crisis have caught mainstream attention, drug diversion in U.S. hospitals – in which health care workers divert opiates and other controlled substances away from patients for personal use or sale – is largely underdiscussed.
But hospital diversion should not be ignored. According to the Joint Commission, the practice threatens patient safety by interfering with their pain relief and potentially exposing them to infectious diseases. It also jeopardizes heath care providers’ lives and livelihoods, damages hospital reputations, and can generate enormous fines.
To better understand diversion, the BD Institute for Medication Management Excellence commissioned KRC Research, a global public opinion research consultancy, to conduct a national survey of more than 650 hospital executives and providers to better understand hospital diversion perceptions, behaviors, and solutions.
But hospital diversion should not be ignored. According to the Joint Commission, the practice threatens patient safety by interfering with their pain relief and potentially exposing them to infectious diseases. It also jeopardizes heath care providers’ lives and livelihoods, damages hospital reputations, and can generate enormous fines.
To better understand diversion, the BD Institute for Medication Management Excellence commissioned KRC Research, a global public opinion research consultancy, to conduct a national survey of more than 650 hospital executives and providers to better understand hospital diversion perceptions, behaviors, and solutions.
