Hello all,

Higher-ups at my hospital are considering randomized drug testing in high risk departments (anesthesia, pharmacy, ED, ICU) to deter drug diversion.  There is particular interest in using a larger panel to catch drugs commonly used in these departments, such as fentanyl.  I am not sure if there is evidence to justify the cost and time involved with testing these employees but I wanted to see what members of the group are doing.

I would especially like to know:

A) If your program is doing random tests or only for-cause testing

B) What panel you’re using

C)  If you’re doing testing in-house or at an outside facility (or a mix)

D)  Any results or evidence from the medical literature that you may have.

Thanks in advance,

Sumeet Batra, MD, MPH

Medical Director, Occupational Health Services

Cook Children’s Health Care System

Phone: (682) 885-1129

Fax: (682) 885-6717