How Rensol Rehabilitated Abuse on Prescription Drugs among Healthcare Staff: A Case Study

Client Problem: Hospital Administrator in Dubai Discovered that Some of His Staff have been Abusing Prescription Drugs

• Hospital admin notices inventory shrinkage in prescription drugs.
• Some allied and medical staff from the employer’s first recruitment partner were proven positive for drug dependence.

Rensol’s Solution: Recommended Rehabilitation of Medical Staff until they Regain Full Practice Again, Recruitment of Medical Professionals Without History of Drug Abuse, Employ Stricter Rules and Launch Educational Programs in Handling of Prescription Drugs

• Rensol, as the second recruitment partner, advised the hospital owner to subject all medical staff involved in drug diversion to a temporary suspension of license until they fully recover upon rehabilitation.
• The partner recruitment agency recommended rigorous recruitment of medical staff with no history of drug abuse.
• Rensol endorses imposition of stricter rules on the handling of prescription drugs and educational programs to continuously train healthcare staff on substance and drug abuse.

Even with the best and stellar medical staff you have, abuse on prescription drugs is a quiet epidemic that falls prey many hospital workers. Drug addiction is a major health risk among healthcare professionals, apart from it being a breach of their professional ethics. Aside from putting patients at risk, this can be damaging to the reputation of any healthcare facility.

Hospitals are filled with prescription painkillers which may induce craving to abused drugs. The intense physical and emotional demand of their job, along with the stress of mandatory overtime, long shifts, and unpredictable shift rotation, contributes to the temptation to steal some.

Case in Point: Drug Diversion in a Medical Workplace

The hospital owner was alarmed upon knowing that a great shrinkage has been happening in the hospital’s inventory of prescription drugs.

In an investigation, some staff deployed by their first recruitment partner had been caught using left-overs and even whole vials of drugs from the dispenser intended for patients. The management found that some staff had proven drug dependence on various prescription drugs to induce migraine, insomnia, and body pain. Many of them had thought that self-medication would not make them addicted and that medications could make them feel better.

Some medical staff were even caught forging prescriptions to acquire drugs. Some diverted drugs by only administering the partial dose to their patient and saved the left-overs for them.

Rensol Rehabilitation

With the need to source a bunch of healthcare staff from other countries, the healthcare facility sought the help of Rensol to aide in manpower needs. As part of Rensol’s mandate not just to be a manpower sourcing agent for the company, the agency deemed it necessary to support the client with its ailing human resource issue on drug dependence.

As a recommendation, Rensol advised the medical unit to provide an adequate support facility for addicted staff. This will prevent issues from coming out the hospital that may damage the facility’s reputation. This is also a responsibility for their workers as drug addiction is still a medical issue that needs to be addressed. This is a responsibility to protect patients and to help every colleague who is under distressed.

Without treating their addiction, patient safety can be jeopardized by diverting drugs from patients, possible neglect on patients, committing of mistakes, and impaired judgment. It is the ethical obligation of the employer to subject the impaired nurse to rehabilitation toward their recovery. Addiction, after all, is a treatable disease yet fatal, if left untreated.

Rensol suggested that the concerned staff’s employment must be temporarily suspended. They will have no access to narcotics and will be subjected under the supervision of a physician until full recovery.

Rensol assisted the healthcare facility to aid in their recruitment needs by sourcing staff with the smallest chance of becoming abusive to prescription drugs. Rigorous screening and background checking have been strictly done and orientation has been comprehensive to meet the demand of the job site.

Rensol recommended that the healthcare facility should have an educational program and stricter policies on the handling of prescription drugs, drug abuse, drug dependence and in how to support their colleagues who will be subjected to rehabilitation programs.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Rensol Recruitment and Consulting, Inc. is the fastest growing recruitment agency in The Philippines. A career consultant that aims to go above and beyond the level of expectations of both the aspirations of the candidates and the dream team standards of employers through providing exceptional opportunities and unparalleled quality-driven recruitment services.

Genisis John Del Rosario - Business Development Manager

“Genz” is a self-made Entrepreneur and a Seasoned Business Development Professional with an extensive background in all levels of sales and business development. He is a dedicated and enthusiastic manager with more than 6 years of experience in research and lead generation from the initial phase to completion. He is also flexible and empathic with a strong work ethic and professional demeanor.