Substance use disorder within the nursing community is a major concern and many state boards have statutory authority for implementing nurse assistance programs, including alternative to discipline programs. The Maryland Board of Nursing has a Discipline and Rehabilitation Committee that was established in 1989. The purpose of this committee is to provide a basis for the disciplinary process for Registered Nurses who are impaired by alcohol and/or drug abuse.…
References: Article 1: “Memoirs of a Recovering Drug addicted Nurse by Dede Dwyer, RNC-E http://www.realityrn.com/more-articles/provocative-topics/memoirs-of-a-recovering-drug-addicted-nurse/267/ 3/24/13…
Based on the 6 articles that group 7 reviewed and summarized, we came to a conclusion that a change in nursing practice has to be implemented in order to deliver the best care for patients who suffer from prescription opioid addiction. It is very important in nursing practice to close the gap between research evidence and the action. Therefore we recommend several changes in nursing practice. They are as follow:…
Elora Jean & Company is deeply troubled about possible drug and alcohol abuse among employees. It is their goal to establish and maintain a drug-free workplace to provide a safer work environment. The goal here today is to recommend items that should go into this policy and to recognize the type of training that will be needed for management and employees pursuant to the new policy. In addition, there will be a discussion on how effective a new drug-free workplace policy will be in reducing work-place accidents. The legality of the policy will be discussed in addition to discussing the implementation of the new policy for both, the union and non-union environment (CTU Online, 2008).…
To begin, due to being a nurse, Thayer had access to controlled substances and unfortunately, for Thayer, the temptation seems to have been too great a burden. After repeated offenses, he was justly punished for his breach of trust. The one-year suspension took away his profession and means of economic support. By making his actions part of the public record, he was duly shamed and embarrassed within his professional community as well as in the eye of the general public. In turn, the state “Board” generously provided for his rehabilitation after disciplinary action. They provided/required the nurse to stay substance clean and get involved with professional help groups in the hope that these nurses can return and again become trusted professionals. The two part, disciplinary and rehabilitory aspects of the state “Board’s” courses of action in regard to unethical misconduct is to protect the medical institutions, patients, and even the nurse, who breaches their ethical duty by personal…
Substance abuse is a growing problem in the workplace. “Substance abuse is the repeated use of alcohol or drugs to the point that users develop personal problems and distress related to use.” (Giraffe, 2011) I am going to discuss the major problems with substance abuse and outline some mind-boggling statistics. Furthermore, I will relate substance abuse to a work environment I have been associated with and express the chaos I have witnessed from co-workers abusing illegal substances and over-using alcohol. I am going to analyze ways this problem can be possibly solved or at least prevented to a certain degree. If substance abuse is prevented, I have determined several social and economic benefits that may occur.…
11. “Registered nurses often handle hazardous drugs or substances and deal with patients battling infectious diseases” (Heibutzki, R. (2014)).…
The opioid epidemic. It is deadly and has risen over the past decade or so to become one of the leading causes of death in America. It is an issue that we as nurses are uniquely situated to make a defining impact on. As nurses, it is our duty to educate patients, families, and anybody else we can. It is a nurse’s responsibility to teach the people who we meet about all the ways they can recognize an improperly proscribed pain medication or potential opioid addiction, an overdose, and what to do if they find themselves in a situation where someone is overdosing on an opioid drug.…
Drug abuse is an issue that causes a need for a criminal justice practitioner in several different ways. This subject can be very broad, therefore, we will discuss this as a whole. Drug abuse is a major social problem and it is a physical pain that a person inflicts upon themselves intentionally and unintentionally while under the influence. Drug abuse leads to life threatening addictions and can also potentially kill a person, which therefore causes for a need of a criminal justice professional in this particular category to promote abstinence of narcotics and prevent these individuals from serving the rest of their lives behind bars. When a person abuses drugs, they do not see their problem as an issue. A criminal justice professional roles comes in place and help drug abusers in many difference ways such as, sending them to rehabilitation centers or helping them seek medical treatments. Drug abuse influence violence and others to become addicts as well in our…
How do we as health care providers help control or stop the abuse of narcotics both in and out of the hospital. According to Meyer (2009) use of a “non-narcotic protocol, of 15 patients who averaged 19 ER visits over the previous year for pain-related complaints were notified about the protocol, ER visits decreased to an average of two per year.” Should patients to continue to arrive at and ER for narcotics they are reminded of the protocol and offered both a non-narcotic medication, as well as, other nonpharmacological interventions such as ice or heat packs, quiet and darkened…
There are many examples that show both the impaired nurses and the patients are extremely affected by the impaired nurse practices. One example is that in 2009, by injecting himself with patients' pain medicine and refilling the syringes with saline, a hospital technician infected at least 46 patients with hepatitis (Budryk, 2014). It was the third hepatitis outburst due to the worker use of patient syringes, the other two were happened in Denver and Jacksonville, Fla., therefore, according to federal records, hundreds of healthcare workers were disciplined or prosecuted for drug diversion or similar misconduct (Budryk, 2014). Therefore, early detection of the problems and effective treatments are vital for the substance misuse and addiction, in order to restore the quality of the life of the impaired nurse and provide safety to the patients (Huston, 2017). Substance misuse and addiction are diseases that can cost lives, if the intervention and treatment were delayed, while they can be treated successfully by recognizing early and treating aggressively. However, “Over 95% of self-identified impaired nurses were currently employed and unknown to their employers as having a substance use problem” (Huston, 2016, p. 295). This information shows that the impaired nurses put the patients and themselves at risk by continuing the critical nature of substance use…
Prescription drug abuse is a modern-day disease. In an estimate, over six million Americans have abused prescription medication. However, there is no completely accurate way to measure prescription drug abuse. Many people suffer from addiction because of certain doctors’ carelessness in writing prescriptions. When doctors’ are caught intentionally over prescribing abused medications, they are typically the punishment for their crimes is very small. Young adults are also beginning to abuse prescription drugs by illegally purchasing them from the prescription holder and using them as study or party drugs. Prescription drug abuse has torn apart families, destroyed lives, and has even resulted in death. Some people think that by focusing on prescription…
Substance abuse is widely recognized as one of the most serious social, ethical, and legal problems of the modern day, but few people realize how serious this issue affects the elderly population of the United States. Substance abuse is generally considered to be a problem of early adulthood, however, the truth is that substance abuse impacts older Americans on a large scale, and must be addressed through a multifaceted approach in which nurses play a key role. This essay summarizes the issues of substance abuse in the elderly population, and sets forth a number of potential solutions.…
This means that once introduced to marijuana, it may lead a person into wanting to try harder drugs. Especially for teenagers, enjoying taking the drug and feeling as if you can handle higher doses can lead into a dangerous situation. Boni shares, “A recent Yale University School of Medicine study revealed that teenage boys who abused alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana were 2 to 3 times more likely to abuse prescription drugs during young adulthood.” This could lead to even more drug related problems.…
This implies a process of self-reflection and awareness of how to behave as a moral being. Some definitions are dictated by law, individual belief systems, religion or a mixture of all three. NAADAC recognizes that its members and certified counselors live and work in many diverse communities. NAADAC has established a set of ethical best-practices that apply to universal ethical deliberation. Further, NAADAC recognizes and encourages the notion that personal and professional ethics cannot be dealt with as separate domains. NAADAC members, addiction professionals and/or licensed/certified treatment providers (subsequently referred to as addiction professionals) recognize that the ability to do well is based on an underlying concern for the well-being of others. This concern emerges from recognition that we are all stakeholders in each other's lives - the well-being of each is intimately bound to the well-being of all; that when the happiness of some is purchased by the unhappiness of others, the stage is set for the misery of all. Addiction…