MOTIVATIONS, CONSEQUENCES, AND PREVENTION OF DRUG DIVERSION: A STUDY OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AT AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, ZARIA

Abstract

This study explores drug diversion motivations, consequences, and preventionamong healthcare professionals at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital(ABUTH), Zaria. It comprehensively addresses healthcare’s drug diversion issue,investigating drivers, outcomes, and preventive strategies. Primary researchquestions focus on motives behind drug diversion at ABUTH, Zaria, itsconsequences, and effective prevention. Employing cross-sectional design, selfadministeredquestionnaires gather data from ABUTH, Zaria’s healthcareprofessionals. The questionnaire captures sociodemographic, motivations,perceived impact, and preventive recommendations. It includes closed-ended,Likert scale, multiple-choice, and open-ended items. A convenience sample fromdiverse ABUTH, Zaria departments yields 398 respondents. A pilot studyprecedes data collection to enhance questionnaire clarity. Adherence to ethicalguidelines ensures participant consent, confidentiality, and anonymity.Descriptive statistics analyse data, yielding frequency distributions, percentagesfor motivations, impact, and preventive strategies. Findings align with literature,identifying addiction as a key motive. Consequences include compromisedpatient safety, supply chain disruption, legal ramifications, and reputational harm.Vulnerabilities in healthcare systems drive targeted interventions.Recommendations address ABUTH, Zaria’s drug diversion. These include robustcontrolled substance reviews, transparent drug procurement policies, mandatorymedical staff verification, waste area monitoring, and enhanced videosurveillance. The study concludes that addressing addiction-driven diversion and prioritizing targeted prevention is productive in curbing drug diversion and that recommended strategies can enhance medication security, patient safety, and healthcare system integrity, fostering a safer, accountable environment.