The Other Epidemic: How technology can help solve prescription drug misuse
Business and societal trends have been accelerated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Some changed for the better while others have only gotten worse.
The misuse of prescription drugs was already the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States prior to 2020, especially among teenagers. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively contributed to drug behavior changes and the availability of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, according to a November 2020 article in the Pharmaceutical Journal.
With COVID-19 news blanketing the media, the epidemic of prescription drug overdose deaths has been easy to overlook.
Drugs that have traditionally been sold in the black market like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines have not gone away. Their demand has waned, however, as society has shifted to prescription drugs like opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants and stimulants.
Preventive strategies
Pharmacies are waging a battle on the front lines to prevent drug misuse. The battle has intensified from the societal shift from street drugs to prescription/OTC products.
Now pharmacists have an opportunity with technology to better control access to drugs while also increasing visibility and accountability of inventory.
Authors of the previously referenced article state that “pharmacists can prevent and reduce drug abuse and should be involved in evidence-based actions to detect, understand and prevent drug diversion activities and the adverse effects of drug misuse.”
Some preventive actions may be easier for national pharmacy chains than independent stores. Large firms have corporate IT systems that can flag suspicious buying activities and find problematic patterns in drug records of customers.
A system could automatically detect, for example, that a customer is having consultations with multiple doctors and getting duplicate prescriptions — a practice called “doctor shopping.”
The Pharmaceutical Journal article also recommends that pharmacies establish a “controlled-substance inventory system” that “discourages diversion and enhances accountability.”
Thanks to modern technology, this type of system is affordable and easy to implement by pharmacies of all sizes.
Securing access to inventory
Hospitals lock certain rooms to prevent access to highly controlled items such as habit-forming drugs and high-dollar tools. In addition to controlling access, hospitals also use barcode systems to check inventory out and in.
Similarly, pharmacies can have the same type of access control system for their inventory at a lower price point. The affordability and flexibility of the BoxLock solution makes it easy to adapt by pharmacies to secure drug inventory and ensure policy compliance by employees.
BoxLock’s secure and rugged smart locks use integrated barcode scanners with real-time connectivity to a robust suite of access control, audit log and inventory management tools. The smart padlock devices use Wi-Fi or cellular networks to be deployed anywhere at scale.
To open a smart padlock device, a permissioned user, such as a pharmacist or staff member, scans a unique QR code identifier. The barcode scanning can also facilitate real-time inventory tracking, audit logs and chain of custody.
Pharmacies can also use BoxLock technology as a customer service tool by offering after-hour pickups using smart devices that provide secure, controlled access to drop boxes. If a customer wants to pick up an item after hours, a pharmacy could text a customer a unique QR code to scan at the drop box to open the lock and access the prescription.
BoxLock’s subscription-based SaaS solution also includes open APIs that can be used to integrate features like inventory access, visibility and security controls to existing software systems. This enables a seamless flow of information about how, when and by whom assets — such as prescription drugs — are being accessed and transferred.
For more information about the smart padlock devices and cloud-based platform of BoxLock can be adapted to solve unique challenges in the healthcare industry, visit https://www.getboxlock.com/healthcare