From 2007 through 2016, a nurse in Ontario stole opioids from
her hospital employer on an almost daily basis, during which time
she accessed the individual records of over 11,300 patients. To
effect the theft of the opioid pills, the nurse would access a
patient's name and identification number, the hospital unit
they had visited, and if applicable, any allergy information.
Sometimes the screen would also show any medication they had taken
during the last 32 hours. The nurse could then move on to have the
hospital's automated dispensing machine release medication to
her without letting anyone know that it was for her own use.
The hospital terminated the nurse's employment upon
discovering the protracted series of thefts. The nurse was
prosecuted and convicted of theft under the
Criminal Code and is no longer registered to
practice with the College of Nurses of Ontario. The hospital itself
underwent considerable regulatory scrutiny by the Ministry of
Health, and
