A Case of a Nurse Diverting Narcotics
The initial thing that has to be done to look into this matter is to examine the patient’s medical record and compare the data with the number of prescribed drugs. If there is a disparity between the two, the nurse is likely abusing her position and taking the pain medication for her use. Notably, if one discovers evidence that a nurse has been diverting patient funds, the next thing one should do is to report the case to the relevant authorities (Jukić & Puljak, 2018; Pozgar, 2019). Depending on the facility, this could be the nursing supervisor, the department of risk management within the hospital, or the state’s professional licensing board.
After the incident has been reported, the nurse will almost certainly be placed on administrative leave while the circumstances surrounding the incident are investigated. In some circumstances, the nurse’s license to practice may be temporarily revoked until the investigation is completed. An inquiry will be conducted to discover whether the nurse broke any professional regulations, such as taking a prohibited substance for herself without a valid medical reason. If so, disciplinary action will be taken against her (Pozgar, 2019). Suppose it is determined that the nurse illegally obtained the pain medication. In that case, the nurse might face severe sanctions, including monetary fines, a probationary period, and perhaps the loss of her nursing license.
It is essential to remember that nurses are held to a higher degree of care and that the illegal distribution of opioids is a punishable felony. When a nurse is suspected of stealing narcotics, examining the issue and reporting any evidence of wrongdoing is crucial. Taking the appropriate procedures to investigate the matter includes reporting any evidence of wrongdoing (Jukić & Puljak, 2018; Phillips et al., 2017; Pozgar, 2019). When this is done, it helps ensure that patients receive the most outstanding possible quality of care and that nurses are held to the highest standards of professional accountability.
References
Jukić, M., & Puljak, L. (2018). Legal and Ethical Aspects of Pain Management. Acta Medica Academica, 47(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.5644/ama2006-124.211
Phillips, J. K., Ford, M. A., & Bonnie, R. J. (2017). Evidence on Strategies for Addressing the Opioid Epidemic. Nih.gov; National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK458653/
Pozgar, G. D. (2019). Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals. In Google Books. Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Legal_and_Ethical_Issues_for_Health_Prof/j7J5DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=
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Question 
You suspect a nurse is diverting narcotics. You ask her patient about his pain control and he states he has not received pain medications all day.
A Case of a Nurse Diverting Narcotics
His nurse states she has medicated him and also has it charted in the patient’s medical record. What steps would you take to investigate this? If you found evidence the nurse has diverted, where does this get reported? What happens to the nurse?
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