Substance abuse is an incidental matter in the health care industry. With the high stress levels, mountains of work load and of course, the usual workplace struggles, it is not difficult to find a few individuals who succumb to these pressures by abusing prescription medicine. This response to stress is known as diversion or in full, chemical diversion. Substance abuse in the nursing profession is a trending topic currently because of its threat to the integrity of the profession. It is estimated that about 10% of working nurses at the moment are involved in substance abuse. So, exactly how bad is this phenomenon that it excites a lot of chatter and debate in the nursing sector? Substance abuse results in a lot of time wastage in the workplace. An addicted substance abuse user has to abandon their job when they get the “itch” to shoot in some chemicals into their system. The most common manifestation of this implication would be an abuser taking frequent breaks during work time or taking longer breaks than usual during the allotted break times. This behavior often escalates to frequent tardiness to work and, occasionally, unexplained absenteeism from work. Work performance also drops due to low concentration at work or inability to focus on work during ‘cravings’.
In succession to the above effect, the quality of the abuser’s workplace relations drops. The first reason for this would be that drug users often neglect their personal hygiene or neglect to take care of their surroundings. Unsurprisingly, the abuser’s workmates become uncomfortable with the person’s level of filth and regrettably, despise him. In addition, drug abusers get uncomfortable around their peers during work. They will want to hide their diversion and resort to lying to cover up their covert affairs. When confronted they will begin to argue or slowly become withdrawn. This tension affects workplace harmony.
Ultimately, resources suffer. Drug abusers in the nursing industry do not imbibe in street drugs alone. In fact, a high percentage of drugs used by nurses are prescription drugs. This occurrence is noted to be rampant among anesthetic nurses who often have access to opioids and propofol. They make up about 12% of the number of nurses in rehabilitation programs. It will not be uprising to find missing vials or unaccounted for usage of certain batches of drugs in the abuser’s workplace. Some abusers will cover up such discrepancies by noting that they prescribed a large number of prescription drugs which is a lie and should be treated as fraud. That is how drug abuse results in economic corruption in the health industry.
In the event that a nurse is suspected of diversion after a comprehensive investigation by a registered nurse, they are to stop working and be tested for drugs. What follows after a positive result is that the nurse should be reported to the state board, suspended and admitted to a 28 day in-house rehabilitation program. A diverter may opt to join an alternative to discipline Nurse Assistance Program under the Board of Registered Nurses. Intervention plans differ from program to program but most treatments involve a 12 step program to be attended of a 90 day window at least thrice a week. The nurse is also required to submit a monthly self-evaluation and regularly update their employer and therapists of their progress. Regular monitoring will help in preventing the nurse from relapsing
Drug use is bug which can bite anyone in the nursing field. From nursing school to the nurses’ station, there is a lot of pressure to work hard and perform in perfection. Stress levels are often high and the likelihood of ending up as a depressed nurse can easily become a surety. It is important to speak out and seek help when the mental burdens become too much for an individual to bear.As an individual, this makes me realize I have to not only been keen on my problems but to issues workmates are experiencing also to help them find better ways to resolve their problems than drug abuse.
In conclusion, it is important to note that substance abuse is an evolving matter because it may, in future, include misuse of the workplace tools such as syringes and other machines which could offer unorthodox relief from stress to the nurses. The implications of substance abuse in the health care industry are very dangerous to be ignored but at the same time too sensitive to be handled by simply outlawing such behavior. It all boils down to how much responsibility is cultivated in an individual to avoid incidences of drug and substance abuse. Nursing schools and institutions which employ nurses should often factor in that substance abuse is a living enemy in the health care industry and as such it can be only avoided by identifying it at the earliest possible opportunity and not just relying on punitive measures. Communication and spread of information will easily tackle this problem.
References
Maher-Brisen, P. (2007). Addiction: An Occupational Hazard in Nursing. American Journal of Nursing, 78.
Scimecs, P. D. (2012). THE ROAD TO DECREASING SUBSTANCE USE AND DRUG DIVERSION IN NURSES. Unbecoming a Nurse.
Thomas, C., & Siela, D. (2011). Substance Abuse in Nurses. American nurse Today.
Wright, L., McGuness, T., Moneyham, T., Schumacer, J., Zwerling, A., & Stullerberger, E. (2012). Opioid Abuse Among Nurse Anesthetists and. American Association of Nurse Anesthetists journal, 2-9.
