Substance Abuse Among Registered Nurses
Introduction
The practice of substance abuse among registered nurses is a threat to the nursing profession. It could compromise the quality of patient care provided and the professional standards of the nursing profession. In the year 2008, 17.8 million Americans were eighteen and overused illegal drugs; 12.6 million users reported to be employed. With the 50% higher rate of substance abuse among registered nurses, these numbers illustrate the severity of this problem. So much so that 1 in 7 nurses is at risk of developing a drug addiction (Epstein, Burns & Conlon, 2010). This paper discusses the dangers posed to patients by drug use among nurses and the Board of Registered Nurses' disciplinary actions on such drug-related matters.
How Impairment Due to Drug Use Can Endanger Patients
Risk factors
The major factor attributed to substance abuse among nurses is stress, which could be physical or emotional. Some form of emotional trauma in childhood and a family history of drug or alcohol abuse are such emotional stresses that could imprint on adult life. Physical stress on nurses is particularly prevalent in the United States due to the nursing shortage. The polls of 2008 demonstrate this shortage clearly as there were only 854 nurses to 100,000 people in the United States. This shortage necessitates practices such as rotating shifts, overtime, and nurses' constant reassignment to different units. The constant demand for nurses and the supply which cannot match up places an excessive workload on the available nurses. Nurses under the protracted influence of such stress are at a high risk of using illegal drugs as a means of relief (Epstein et al., 2010).
Nurses' daily work environment is unpredictable, and alarm situations are highly likely to occur daily. These situations of alarm present a form of psychological stress. Constant exposure to death by the intensive care unit and emergency department nurses creates a highly stressful environment to work. Extended operations in these kinds of environments cause profound psychological stress. The physical stress of the unpredictable work pace and the tasking work demands on these nurses increase substance abuse risk by a significant amount (Trinkoff & Storr, 1998).
Signs and symptoms
The first sign of substance abuse is a deterioration in interpersonal relationships, usually between family and friends. Unjustified absences from work, constant lateness, inappropriate behavior in the workplace,...
A reduction in
job performance may occur as the individual becomes less competent to handle duties (Epstein et al., 2010). Changes may also occur in the personal hygiene, emotional stability, and
social behavior of an individual committing substance abuse.
Relevance to Occupational Health
The impairments brought on by long term substance abuse increase the likelihood of workplace accidents and injuries. The equipment, materials, and substances in the medical environment are technical and could pose a hazard if mishandled. This can result in economic damages as there are increased claims for health benefits, workers' compensation, and disability claims.
A reduction in the ability to function due to substance abuse reduces productivity and efficiency...
…of the disciplinary action taken against a violating nurse are stored for reference purposes in the National State Boards of Nursing databanks. These records are also required by
federal law to be stored in the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank and the National Practitioners Data Bank.
The Non-Disciplinary Approach
An alternative to the traditional disciplinary attempts, non-disciplinary programs are designed to sanction offending nurses while assisting them. This correctional method has been in use since the 1970s and is adopted by a growing number of nursing boards (National Council of State Boards of Nursing & National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2011).
This correctional method also begins with the filing of a complaint to the nursing board, then a deliberation of the case with the evidence provided. Nurses found guilty of a violation are allowed to remain in service under supervision until declared fit for unsupervised work.
Conclusion
Substance abuse among registers nurses is a major problem that needs to be resolved, either through traditional disciplinary methods or more supportive alternative ones. The implications of substance abuse on patients' safety and the standards of nursing bear too great a weight to be disregarded. And the occupational health hazard it poses increases the potential of workplace accidents, which could result in economic reparations in health benefits, worker's compensation, and disability claims.
An administrative agency in each state regulates the practice of nursing. These agencies called nursing boards to enact rules of practice and enforce those rules to protect the public from unsafe nurses. Through disciplinary methods, nursing boards sanction violating nurses to rehabilitate them…
