is this considered a drug diversion?

[Ms.RN]

my facility got the narcotic for one of my patients from the pharmacy and when the pharmacy sent the narcotic, it also included the narcotic sign out form for nurses, nurses write down the time, number of tablet and signature of nurse giving the med. we put all the narcotic sign out form in the binder and at the end of the shift we count the narcotic with outgoing and incoming nurses. i was counting with the day shift nurse and the day nurse says the narcotic sheet for a narcotic that was delivered yesterday is missing from the binder and she notified the don. the don was furious and said this is a serious drug diversion problem. but the narcotic was in the narcotic box witht full amount, just the sign out sheet is missing. so is this considered a drug diversion?

[JenniferSews]

In my facility if the pharmacy doesn't send a drug count sheet, we write our own. A little critical thinking will show the narcs are accounted for but only the paper sheet is missing. Surely this can be easily accounted for by writing out a blank sheet?

[TishEllen]

It sounds like a drug count sheet diversion / misplacement. I have been retired for a while. Are there any places where the drug count is computerized? Pen and paper seems so 20th century, doesn't it?

[caliotter3]

Well, my devious little mind thinks someone could have taken the sheet out in preparation for taking the meds but somehow they didn't get the meds out, if that is in fact a diversion situation. Otherwise, just a missing piece of paper.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

The card of narcotics was still in the box, correct?

This is not a case of drug diversion, in my opinion. If the drugs are still located in the facility in the full amount that was delivered, then no drugs were diverted.

[KaroSnowQueen, RN]

This is two things:

1. a "serious" case of missing paper - call the pharm for another one, make one up out of blank paper, whatever. It is NOT drug diversion if all the drugs are present and accounted for, even if their piece of paper isn't.

2. a SERIOUS case of manager with the tendency to blame, yell, make a federal case out of something that is not........

Just IMHO, my .

[bsyrn, ASN, RN]

It cannot be considered a drug diversion if the correct amount of drugs are still there. It sounds as though your manager is looking for a problem. I would just request a duplicate narcotic sheet from the pharmacy.

[1dyclsr2rtrmnt]

I'm thinking it is obvious then, that the narcotic is still full...obvious that none has been removed? Otherwise how would you know it is still full if the sheet is missing? {Maybe the label had the count on it, also, so it could be counted from there.}

Who in their right mind would remove a narcotic sheet from the book?

Never ceases to amaze me the things that can happen.

It doesn't seem like drug diversion to me if it's obvious that the narcotic is still full and I would feel for the person who would try to accuse me of that.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

Since no drug is missing, no this is not drug diversion. This is missing paperwork and a violation of policy. Drug diversion is when the drug is not given to the patient. DON needs a chill pill.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

Y'all keep the sheets for counting narcs in a binder? What's to prevent someone from taking the paper out of the binder and taking the card of narcs out of the drawer??? We have to use a bound book with pages that wouldn't come out if you tossed the book into the hurricane booth and the mall.

What you described is NOT drug diversion since you had the drugs.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Y'all keep the sheets for counting narcs in a binder? What's to prevent someone from taking the paper out of the binder and taking the card of narcs out of the drawer??? We have to use a bound book with pages that wouldn't come out if you tossed the book into the hurricane booth and the mall.

What you described is NOT drug diversion since you had the drugs.

Same here. We used the binder until we stopped for the reasons you outlined/ We now have a bound ledger.

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

well if the count sheet is gone, then how can anybody be sure that the amount delivered is actually there? so yeah, this could potentiallybe a diversion issue:twocents: