Drug diversion is when prescription medicines are obtained or used illegally. Healthcare providers who steal prescription medicines or controlled substances such as opioids for their own use put patients at risk. This can result in several types of patient harm, including infections and outbreaks (e.g., involving hepatitis C virus or bacterial pathogens) if a provider has tampered with injectable drugs.

Featured Resources:

Helpful resources for diversion-related investigations include:

• CSTE’s Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Drug Diversion Planning and Response Toolkit for State and Local Health Departments, which provides customizable resources and recommendations to enhance collaboration with regulatory authorities and other partners
• The CDC drug diversion website which summarizes diversion-related outbreaks provides and other useful resources and guidance

Additional Resources:

• Sphingomonas paucimobilis bacteremia outbreak at a New York hospital
• Hepatitis C outbreak in a Washington State hospital emergency department