Preemptive Measures: Joni Street on Preventing Drug Diversion in Healthcare
Episode Overview
Joni's transition from retail to diversion monitoring in a hospital setting Implementation of the ERAS protocol and its components Challenges and successes in getting buy-in from different healthcare professionals Educating patients on pain management alternatives The value of networking and interprofessional collaboration in healthcare
Sometimes it's resetting our expectations. What a large percentage of the narcotics in the world that we actually utilize in the United States. It's insane. So sometimes we need to think about resetting the expectation, but also realizing that we do have some of these medications and they are appropriate to be used in certain circumstances as well.
Imagine a healthcare system where drug diversion is caught before it even begins. In this episode, Terri Vidals chats with Joni Street, a seasoned pharmacist and diversion officer at a Common Spirit facility. Joni takes us through her fascinating journey from retail pharmacy to overseeing drug safety in a hospital setting. She shares the innovative Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols her team has implemented, which go far beyond just administering medications.
Joni highlights the importance of pre-surgery education, carb loading, fluid management, and multimodal pain management as crucial steps in reducing drug diversion risks. Joni doesn’t shy away from discussing the hurdles her team faced, from gaining support from anesthesia and nursing staff to educating patients about alternative pain management options. She emphasizes the value of interprofessional collaboration and how networking within the healthcare community can lead to better outcomes for both patients and professionals.
If you're keen on understanding how proactive measures can make a significant difference in healthcare, this episode is a must-listen.