Some Health Workers Suffering From Addiction Steal Drugs Meant For Patients

The federal government estimates one in 10 healthcare workers experience substance use disorder. There is rising concern that medical professionals are stealing powerful opioid pain medications meant for their patients. The DEA told NPR it investigated roughly 3,600 cases of alleged drug theft at healthcare facilities over the last five years, including 280 cases so far in 2020. Also, studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mayo Clinic found healthcare workers who steal drugs frequently tamper with medications, leaving them contaminated. #substanceabuse#healthcare

Some Health Workers Suffering From Addiction Steal Drugs Meant For Patients

The Drug Enforcement Agency relies on hospitals to identify nurses and doctors who misuse drugs such as morphine and fentanyl. But “only a fraction of those who are diverting drugs are ever caught.”