Managing medication waste in-clinic and for patients at home has always been a challenge, particularly in surgical settings where time and efficiency are invaluable. Our industry has long relied on cumbersome and outdated methods, especially when it comes to disposing of unneeded medications.
Traditional “black box” systems often involve multiple steps and inconvenient processes that require clinicians to go out of their way to dispose of medications. These systems also require facilities to pay by weight, making the entire operation inefficient and costly.
For patients, proper disposal options are largely limited to collection sites and occasional take-back events. Unfortunately, opioids prescribed to patients contribute to a 60% or more increase in overdoses, but educating patients on disposal methods is not enough to substantially increase proper disposal behavior.
An innovative solution, the Deterra® Drug Deactivation and Disposal System, provides simple, immediate medication disposal in any surgical setting and offers post-surgical patients a convenient at-home disposal option for leftover medication.
Innovative Bedside Disposal
Deterra lets clinicians securely dispose of controlled and non-controlled medications such as narcotics, blood thinners and NSAIDs right at the bedside, so they can focus on what they do best – caring for patients.
Deterra’s award-winning containers and pouches deactivate unused drugs directly at the point of care. With the simple addition of tap water, proprietary activated carbon renders unwanted drugs inert and irretrievable for all practical purposes. This state-of-the-art, sustainable method of neutralizing medications has been adopted by Mayo Clinic, Inspira Health, and independent surgery centers to increase efficiency and prevent diversion.
Improve Patient Outcomes
Up to 70% of opioids prescribed for post-surgical use go unused, leaving them vulnerable to misuse and theft. Deterra Pouches simplify post-procedure disposal and are the perfect complement for patient discharge packets, helping extend care into patients’ homes and to their families.
Patients given a Deterra Pouch are nearly 4x more likely to dispose of leftover medications than those who were not provided disposal support.