Nevada News: Technician Diversion

October 1, 2008 12:23 PM Topics: Technicians

Reprinted from the October 2008 Nevada State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter.

Recent articles in the newspapers regarding prescription drug abuse have highlighted the ever increasing number of complaints received by Board staff involving the diversion of controlled substances by pharmacy technicians. Current information from the Drug Enforcement Administration clearly indicates that prescription drugs are rapidly becoming the “entry level” substance for drug abuse by young Americans, starting as early as middle school. So where do they get the drugs? Besides “pharming” their parent’s and grandparent’s medicine cabinets, recent cases involving pharmacy technicians demonstrate the fact that sometimes unbelievable quantities of controlled substances are being diverted. Board staff reminds pharmacists that they are responsible for their technician’s activities, and that managing pharmacists accept responsibility for the operation of their pharmacy. Some considerations:
 Know your technicians.
 Know and monitor your inventory levels.
 Know who is ordering what and who is checking it in.
 Evaluate your controlled substance stocking practices (eg, is it easier to monitor controlled substances if they are stocked in one area versus scattered amongst other stock).
 Consider “running inventories” for controlled substances, or at least those that are highly abused (eg, hydrocodone).
 Be confident and comfortable with the number of technicians that you are able to supervise at once.