Vancouver nurse loses licence for dispensing 'incredible amount' of opioid painkillers

A Vancouver nurse has lost her licence after it was revealedshe'd been dispensing"an incredible amount"of opioid pain medication to people who weren't her patients.

Leila Reshidregularly withdrewhydromorphonefrom Vancouver General Hospital between November 2013 andDecember 2014, according to an auditby the College of Registered Nurses of B.C. (CRNBC).

Hydromorphone, also known as Dilaudid or Exalgo, is a narcotic painkiller that relieves moderate to severe discomfort. Misuse can lead to addiction and, in serious cases, death.

In December 2014, one of Reshid's colleagues told Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) that they'd noticed a suspicious pattern in Reshid'sbehaviour. The authority launched an investigation and Reshid was fired the next month.

VCH forwarded the findings from its investigation to the CRNBC and filed a formal complaint.

An audit by the college confirmed the authority's findings.Her nurse's registration was cancelled on Nov. 28.

'Unacceptable practice'

The CRNBC'sinvestigationfound thatReshiddispensedhydromorphonefor patients that weren't hers, withdrew medication for more than one patient at a time, took out two doses at once and improperly stored the medication.

In a three-month peroiod,the nurse dispensed1,546 vials ofhydromorphoneprescribed to patients.

By contrast, the next-highest number ofwithdrawals during that time framewas only 56 vials 96 per cent less.

Cynthia Johansen, CEO oftheCRNBC, called it an "incredible amount" of drugs.

"It's highly unusual and therefore very concerning," she told CBC News."It's unacceptable practice. It's unsafe and it's not appropriate behaviour."

Johansen said the college wasn't able to confirm what Reshiddid with the medication. As far as Johansenknows,none of the misallocateddoses were administered to patients.

VCH looking to improve narcotic-storage system

Gavin Wilson, a spokesman for VCH, said the authority does have safeguards in place to prevent the theft of narcotics. The medications arekept in automated dispensing machines on the nursing units, and only authorized staff have access. Staff are required to keep detailed records.

Wilson said the medication is also kept in vaults and locked cabinets, and security cameras are trained on the storage units.

However, he said, thefts can happen.

"Despite all of our safeguards, if there's a determined individual who has legitimate access to narcotics but disregards professional and ethical standards ...they can still find ways to circumvent the system," Wilson said.

"We're always taking steps to improve the storage, distribution, and control of narcotics to try and prevent that from occurring."

Reinstatement 'a high mark to meet'

The CRNBCsaidReshidhad "no reasonable explanation" for her actionsand agreed to give up her licence.

She'll be able to apply for reinstatement in five years, butJohansenhadlittle confidence that the former nurse will get her licence back.

"One of the key considerations that our college would look to [for approval]is demonstration of good behaviour," Johansen explained."I think that will be a high mark for her to meet, given this history."