Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Edition: Opioids - January 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 7 Y ou can reduce the potential for staff diversion of opioids and patient misuse by following these steps to keep your pain medication safe and secure, from procure- ment straight through to dis- posal. 1. Regular audits Make sure a manager — prefer- ably someone who isn't involved in buying medications — is auditing the purchasing records of controlled drugs. "Regularly review the whole- saler account and do a line item report, looking at all drugs that were purchased and comparing them with everything that was stocked," says Kimberly New, JD, BSN, RN, founder of Diversion Specialists, a consult- ing firm based in Chicago, Ill. "If you don't, it's easy for a staff member to order an extra shipment of a controlled drug and take it without you ever knowing." Also make sure separate staff members are in charge of purchasing, receiving and stocking your medication supplies, suggests Ms. New. The careful monitoring of opioid supplies must extend into patient Joe Paone | Senior Associate Editor Who Has Access to Your Medications? Reduce diversion risks with these drug security and disposal solutions. • IN GOOD HANDS Automated drug storage and dispensing cabinets ensure staff obtain only the amount of medications needed for spe- cific cases and keep digital records of usage. Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN, CNOR

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