CFPN Drug Diversion Investigation and Prevention 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is pharmaceutical drug diversion?
- The illegal redirection of prescription medications from their intended purpose to illicit use (Correct answer)
- Switching patients between equivalent medications
- The process of transferring medications between hospital units
- Administering medications by a route other than prescribed
Correct answer: The illegal redirection of prescription medications from their intended purpose to illicit use
Drug diversion refers to the theft or misuse of controlled substances intended for patient care for personal use or sale.
Question 2: Which federal agency is primarily responsible for investigating pharmaceutical drug diversion by healthcare professionals?
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (Correct answer)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Correct answer: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
The DEA has primary jurisdiction over controlled substance violations including diversion by healthcare professionals under the Controlled Substances Act.
Question 3: Which of the following is a common behavioral red flag indicating possible drug diversion by a healthcare employee?
- Frequent requests to work night shifts alone near the medication room (Correct answer)
- Consistently documenting medication waste
- Taking scheduled breaks at regular times
- Requesting reassignment to a different unit
Correct answer: Frequent requests to work night shifts alone near the medication room
Seeking unsupervised access to medication storage is a significant behavioral indicator of potential diversion.
Question 4: When a discrepancy is found in controlled substance counts, what is the first step the forensic pharmacy nurse should take?
- Document the discrepancy and report it to the supervisor and pharmacy immediately (Correct answer)
- Resolve the discrepancy internally before reporting
- Assume it was a counting error and recount
- Notify the patient whose medication is involved
Correct answer: Document the discrepancy and report it to the supervisor and pharmacy immediately
Prompt documentation and reporting triggers the formal investigation process and preserves chain of accountability.
Question 5: Which data source is most useful for identifying patterns of drug diversion in a hospital setting?
- Automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) transaction logs (Correct answer)
- Patient satisfaction surveys
- Nursing schedule calendars
- Pharmacy purchasing invoices only
Correct answer: Automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) transaction logs
ADC logs track who accessed what medications, when, and in what quantities, creating an auditable record for diversion investigation.
Question 6: The Controlled Substances Act classifies drugs into schedules based primarily on what criteria?
- Medical use, abuse potential, and safety under medical supervision (Correct answer)
- Cost of manufacture and availability
- Country of origin and chemical class
- FDA approval status and patent duration
Correct answer: Medical use, abuse potential, and safety under medical supervision
DEA scheduling reflects the balance between accepted medical use, abuse potential, and the degree of psychological or physical dependence.
CFPN Drug Diversion Investigation and Prevention 1
What is pharmaceutical drug diversion?