A study on the severity of narcotic diversion in hospitals

This project is about the narcotic diversion, with specific respects to fentanyl, that is occurring in hospitals. Narcotic diversion is the stealing or syphoning of drugs from reserves. Fentanyl is a highly sought after and addictive, and sold for absorbent amounts on the black market. The main problem with fentanyl diversion is caused by doctors, since anesthesiologists for example work with narcotics multiple times a day, with almost unlimited access. A survey of 260 anesthesiologists from the Medical College of Wisconsin graduating between 1958 and 1988 reported that 32 percent used drugs to “get high” and 15.8 percent had been drug dependent. (Medical college of Wisconsin) The optimal time for this diversion to occur is at time of disposal. This is when the doctor wastes the leftover drug he/she didn’t use on the patient. This is the optimal time for the diversion of fentanyl, since at this time the only precautionary measure is notarized disposal. Notarized disposal is a procedure in which a nurse watches a doctor waste the narcotic, and in the case of fentanyl a clear liquid, and co-signs saying that the doctor did actually dispose of the narcotic. The problem with this system is that in some cases, like fentanyl, the liquid is clear. My project looks at the scope of this problem and the validity or necessity of a solution or form of preliminary test for fentanyl