Could Technology Help Curb the Opioid Crisis?
When the ‘man on the street’ thinks about how people obtain illegal opioids, they probably think about shady dealers selling opioids that have been manufactured, Breaking Bad style, in illegal laboratories. It may then surprise the ‘man on the street’ that a large percentage of illegally sold opioids come from sources where opioids are manufactured and/or stored perfectly legally.
Healthcare facilities are a major source of opioids, and there have been multiple cases of opioids from such facilities begin stolen and then being used by the person who stole them, or being sold illegally. This illegal opioid supply chain is known as ‘drug diversion’, and it is estimated that there are at least 37,000 instances of drug diversion in the US every year.
‘Drug Diversion’ is One Way That Opioids are Obtained by Illegal Means
This is a major problem. Not only do the authorities have to deal with illegally sourced opioids becoming available to the US population, they have to deal with legally sourced opioids becoming available illegally as well.
In the hope of curtailing this issue, tech companies have begun to supply hospitals and other medical facilities with sophisticated software packages that are designed to spot drug diverters and to track opioids and other controlled substances.
An example of this is a program called Bluesight for Controlled Substances by a company called Kit Check. More than a simple inventory program, the software uses an algorithm that is so intelligent that it learns as it observes. Not only does it keep track of controlled substances, it keeps a check on employee access to such substances in order to identify dispensation and prescription patterns that may be an indication of drug diversion.
Technology Can Identify Potential Drug Diversion, But it is Still the Responsibility of Medical Staff to Act Upon it
Although technology is now available that can identify potential drug diversion patterns, it is still the responsibility of medical facilities to intervene and investigate employees who are suspected of drug diversion. This, some experts claim, is a flaw in the system as suspending or dismissing an employee ‘suspected’ of drug diversion without proof is difficult and can lead to expensive civil lawsuits.
If you feel you may be affected by any of the circumstances described in the above article, then the team at Advanced Rapid Detox is here to help. We offer services that allow people to rid their lives and their bodies of opioids in as little as three days. To learn more about our 3 day opiate detox program, contact us at (800) 603-1813 or use our online contact form.
