Opioids and drug diversion: Veterinary trends

Discover the importance of securing controlled substances in your practice to help prevent drug diversion. Explore statistics and trends related to drug diversion and opioid use in human healthcare, and compare them with data in veterinary medicine. Learn about some of the regulatory attempts that have been made to address drug diversion within veterinary practices.

Learning objectives: 

• Discover opioid epidemic trends in veterinary medicine.
• Recognize signs of employee drug diversion.
• Identify changes that can be made in daily practice to help prevent diversion.

Since 2019, Dr. Lauren Forsythe has been a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy, and head of pharmacy service at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She graduated from the University of Findlay, College of Pharmacy in 2015 and completed her veterinary pharmacy residency at Purdue’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She then spent three years as a clinical pharmacist at UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She is a diplomate of the International College of Veterinary Pharmacists.