CAHSS Faculty Articles
The Diversion of Prescription Drugs by Health Care Workers in Cincinnati, Ohio
ORCID ID
0000-0003-4027-7840
ResearcherID
K-3072-2014, H-3010-2014
Publication Title
Substance Use & Misuse
ISSN
1532-2491
Publication Date
2006
Abstract
Data are reported from drug diversion cases involving health care workers who were investigated by the Cincinnati Police Division Pharmaceutical Diversion Squad over an 11-year period. This type of information is rarely available because few U.S. police jurisdictions dedicate resources to prescription drug diversion surveillance. Data from 1992 through 2002 show that opioids were the drugs most commonly diverted by health care workers, followed by benzodiazepines. Nurses, nursing assistants, and medical assistants were involved in almost three quarters of all cases. Hospitals were the most common sources of complaint to police, followed by pharmacies. Health care professional associations are advised to promote greater awareness of drug misuse and dependence concerns among their memberships, and health care facilities that stock pharmaceuticals liable for misuse and diversion are advised to increase the security of their supplies.
DOI
10.1080/10826080500391829
Volume
41
Issue
2
First Page
255
Last Page
264
NSUWorks Citation
Inciardi, J. A., Surratt, H. L., Kurtz, S. P., & Burke, J. J. (2006). The Diversion of Prescription Drugs by Health Care Workers in Cincinnati, Ohio. Substance Use & Misuse, 41 (2), 255-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826080500391829
