Electronic data from automated drug dispensing carts could help identify drug diversion by anesthesia care providers, according to a study published in the July 2011 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.
According to the study, led by Richard H. Epstein, MD, and colleagues of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, found that with appropriate follow-up, the automated screening system can help identify cases of unexpected drug diversion and abuse.
The system uses data from automated drug dispensing carts, which record all drugs removed by authorized, logged-in staff members. Every month, the system cross-checks transactions involving controlled drugs by anesthesia care providers and focuses on "atypical transactions." Those transactions might include drugs withdrawn for patients who had left the operating room.
If the number of atypical transactions is unusually high, the records are manually reviewed to assess the likelihood that drug diversion occurred. In several cases, the system led to the detection of drug division by anesthesia staff members.
Read the Newswise report on the study on drug diversion.
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According to the study, led by Richard H. Epstein, MD, and colleagues of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, found that with appropriate follow-up, the automated screening system can help identify cases of unexpected drug diversion and abuse.
The system uses data from automated drug dispensing carts, which record all drugs removed by authorized, logged-in staff members. Every month, the system cross-checks transactions involving controlled drugs by anesthesia care providers and focuses on "atypical transactions." Those transactions might include drugs withdrawn for patients who had left the operating room.
If the number of atypical transactions is unusually high, the records are manually reviewed to assess the likelihood that drug diversion occurred. In several cases, the system led to the detection of drug division by anesthesia staff members.
Read the Newswise report on the study on drug diversion.
Related Articles on Anesthesia:
Local Anesthesia Could Speed Up Orthopedic Surgery by 50%, Physicians Say
Learning Disabilities Not Associated With Use of Neuraxial Analgesia During Labor
Video Education Improves Intubation Skills in Medical Students