The issue of drug diversion in healthcare is a major problem, with considerable consequences. What many may not know, is how prevalent this problem is and what impact the pandemic may have on it. Drug diversion puts the patient, the diverting employee, and the facility, at risk for harm and financial losses. It is speculated that many cases of stolen controlled substances either go undetected or unreported.
Carolyn Bourke, RN, BSN, Product Owner — DetectRx - iatricSystems
Prevalence
Drug diversion has continued to be a major problem in healthcare, one that has considerable consequences. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem has continued to become more and more prevalent.
The history of telehealth is one that is much longer than some might think. There are examples from both 1879 and 1925 in which magazines from the time displayed articles about doctors using the telephone to reduce unnecessary office visits as well as a cover image showing a doctor diagnosing a patient by radio.1
Fast forward to the present and there are more technologies available for healthcare as well as advances in communication technology. With these new technologies, more people are getting access to healthcare that normally would not, especially in rural communities.
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