Understanding Witnessed Inventory, Unreported Items, and Narcotics Reporting (Coming soon in FW 2.2)

This article explains what happens during a typical shift and how MedixSafe handles unreported medications.

Start of Shift: Complete a Witnessed Inventory

At the beginning of a shift, complete a Witnessed Inventory to confirm the medications currently stored in the safe.

1. Open the safe and remove the medications for inspection.
2. Confirm that all expected medications are present and ready for use.
3. Return all medications to the safe and close the door.
4. Press [#] to start a report.
5. Review and confirm the inventory count.
6. The witness scans their fingerprint to sign the report.

MedixSafe records the safe access and a Witnessed Inventory Report confirming the inventory at the start of the shift.

During the Shift: Removing and Returning Medication

During normal use, medications can be removed from and returned to the safe without immediately filing a report.

For example, if 10 medications are removed, the system records the access event and the inventory movement. When the medications are returned, the safe scans the items again and updates the inventory.

These movements are considered unwitnessed inventory activity until the appropriate report is completed.

What Happens if a Medication Is Not Returned?

Consider this example:

You remove 10 medications from the safe during a call. One vial of Fentanyl 100 mcg – Vial #123 is administered, while the other nine medications are returned.

When you close the safe, MedixSafe detects that only nine items were returned.

The display may briefly show:

Searching for 1...

followed by:

9 Added / 9 in Safe

Because the missing medication has not yet been accounted for through a report, the safe will display:

Report Required

The system retains information about the missing item, including its drug information and serial number.

Completing the Administration or Waste Report

When Report Required appears:

1. Press [*] to view the medication requiring a report.
2. If necessary, complete the appropriate disposal/waste process.
3. Confirm the remaining medications are properly stored in the safe.
4. Close the safe.
5. Press [#] to begin the report.
6. The safe will ask whether you want to add the unreported medication to the report.
7. Press [1] – Yes.
8. Enter the amount administered or wasted for the identified medication.
9. Review the report.
10. Have the witness scan their fingerprint to sign and complete the report.

The system records the appropriate witnessed administration/waste report and the witnessed inventory report.

What if I Select “No” to Add the Unreported Item?

If you run a report but select No when asked to add the missing medication, the inventory discrepancy does not disappear simply because a report was completed.

The medication remains unaccounted for because MedixSafe detected that it left the safe but no administration or waste report was completed for it.

Similarly, if you do not run a report at all, the physical inventory change is still captured. For example, if the safe previously contained 15 medications and only 14 are returned, the system records the change from 15 → 14 and the outstanding medication still requires reconciliation.

Why This Matters

This workflow creates a distinction between:

What is physically in the safe and what has been formally accounted for through administration, waste, or other reporting.

This helps identify situations where a controlled substance has been removed but the corresponding documentation has not yet been completed.

MedixSafe's newer firmware also generates Risk Score events for activity such as partial inventory returns, missing reports, and reports completed after the medication movement. These events are currently being captured and stored in the cloud; Risk Score processing and presentation are still being developed.