No Software? No Problem—Conducting Effective AuditsNo Software? No Problem—Conducting Effective Audits
Drug Diversion Insights with Terri Vidals
Terri Vidals outlines practical ways to run effective diversion audits using existing automated dispensing machine data instead of expensive software. She explains how to identify outliers, focus on key red flags and keep audits manageable for busy healthcare teams.
5:54•15 Apr 2026
Smart Drug Diversion Audits Without Expensive Software
Episode Overview
- Manual, random audits using ADM data can meaningfully reduce diversion risk even without specialised software.
- Comparing nurses within similar units or roles helps identify true outliers in dispensing and waste activity.
- Frequent or unusual cancel transactions, especially on non-controlled medications, are key red flags worth reviewing closely.
- Focusing audits on one medication and one defined period at a time keeps the workload manageable while still effective.
- Documented selection criteria and consistent reviews support defensible audits, better education and stronger policies.
“Manual, random audits can uncover significant issues and set a strong foundation for your program.”
Curious about how others manage diversion risk without pricey analytics tools? This short Diversion Insights Quick Take with pharmacist and drug diversion specialist Terri Vidals shows how much you can do with just your automated dispensing machine (ADM) data and a bit of focused curiosity.
Terri speaks directly to busy healthcare professionals whose facilities don’t have surveillance software, stressing that “manual, random audits can uncover significant issues and set a strong foundation for your program.” You’ll hear clear, step-by-step ideas on where to start: pulling dispense reports, waste logs and transaction histories from your ADM, then exporting them to spreadsheets for simple comparisons.
Instead of chasing the person who dispenses the most fentanyl or morphine overall, Terri explains why it’s smarter to “always compare like nurses with like nurses.” The aim is to spot outliers inside similar units or roles—those whose dispensing or waste patterns stand out sharply from their peers. She also highlights practical warning signs that anyone can check: odd waste patterns, inconsistent documentation and especially unusual cancel activity.
One striking point is her warning that frequent cancels on non-controlled medications can be “a bigger concern than cancels on controlled substances themselves,” because they may be used to disguise diversion of controlled drugs. To keep audits realistic for time-poor teams, Terri suggests picking one medication, one time period and one set of outliers at a time, then rotating focus so audits stay manageable yet meaningful. Throughout, she reinforces the message: do something rather than nothing.
Even simple reviews, when done consistently and documented well, can reveal problems, inform education and strengthen policies. If you’re trying to reduce diversion risk without high-tech tools, this quick session offers practical ideas you can start using on your next shift. What small audit could you launch this week using data you already have?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.