SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS
Physicians, dentists, and nurses have far higher rates of
dependence on controlled substances,
such as opioids, stim-ulants, and sedatives, than other professionals of
comparable educational achievement, such as lawyers. One reason is thought to
be the ease of obtaining controlled substances (Jaffe & Anthony, 2005).
Health care professionals also have higher rates of alcoholism than the general
population.
The issue of reporting colleagues with suspected sub-stance abuse
is an important and extremely sensitive one. It is difficult for colleagues and
supervisors to report their peers for suspected abuse. Nurses may hesitate to
report suspected behaviors for several reasons: They have diffi-culty believing
that a trained health care professional would engage in abuse; they may feel
guilty or fear falsely accusing someone; or they may simply want to avoid
con-flict. Substance abuse by health professionals is very seri-ous, however,
because it can endanger clients. Nurses have an ethical responsibility to
report suspicious behavior to a supervisor and, in some states, a legal
obligation as defined in the state’s nurse practice act. Nurses should not try
to handle such situations alone by warning the coworker; this often just allows
the coworker to continue to abuse the substance without suffering any
repercussions.
General warning signs of abuse include poor work per-formance,
frequent absenteeism, unusual behavior, slurred speech, and isolation from
peers. More specific behaviors and signs that might indicate substance abuse
include the following:
·
Incorrect drug counts
·
Excessive controlled substances listed as wasted or contaminated
Reports by clients of ineffective pain relief from medica-tions,
especially if relief had been adequate previously
·
Damaged or torn packaging on controlled substances
·
Increased reports of “pharmacy error”
·
Consistent offers to obtain controlled substances from pharmacy
·
Unexplained absences from the unit
·
Trips to the bathroom after contact with controlled substances
·
Consistent early arrivals at or late departures from work for no
apparent reason
Nurses can become involved in substance abuse just as any other
person might. Nurses with abuse problems deserve the opportunity for treatment
and recovery as well. Reporting suspected substance abuse could be the crucial
first step toward a nurse getting the help he or she needs.
Related Topics
Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, DMCA Policy and Compliant
Copyright © 2018-2023 BrainKart.com; All Rights Reserved. Developed by Therithal info, Chennai.