Drug abuse is a chronic public health issue that effects people in every level of our society. Drug abuse effects more than just the user. It interferes with relationships, status I society, health, and one’s employment. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), approximately 10 percent of nurses reported dependency on drugs while working in the field (Copp, 2009). Why is it that nurses have a relatively high incidence of substance abuse? The goal of this research paper is to present insight to what substances are commonly abused, and dig deeper into the lives of nurses and determine why such high numbers of substance abuse have been charted, especially for anesthetic nurses and anesthesiology students. This paper will also discuss
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regarding nurses with no family history of substance abuse and who did not report high levels of stress, but were still abusing drugs. There were high levels of airborne propofol in cardiovascular operating rooms where opioids are frequently used. The highest levels were detected near the patients head, where anesthesia providers typically spend most of their time (Wright, 2012). Just being around in such close to these potent drugs can have adverse effects. This leads into a discussion about what causes dependency on …show more content…
It can be very harmful and difficult to try and cease the use of drugs once someone is addicted to them. As many times we learn, prevention starts with education. Detrimental to this cause is the fact that even today, there is no standard for substance abuse education in medical schools or anesthesia programs. On a positive note, formal substance abuse education has increased in 123 anesthesiology resident programs by 47 percent and much of the education is mandatory (Wright, 2012). There are also many signs to look for in finding out if a nurse is diverting drugs for their own use and abusing them. These signs may include arriving early or staying late at work, coming in on days off, excessive “wasting” of drugs, volunteering to give other nurses patients their medications, and frequent bathroom breaks. If a patient reports unrelieved pain despite an adequate prescription said to have been given to them, this may be an easy sign that the nurse is abusing drugs (Hastings,
regarding nurses with no family history of substance abuse and who did not report high levels of stress, but were still abusing drugs. There were high levels of airborne propofol in cardiovascular operating rooms where opioids are frequently used. The highest levels were detected near the patients head, where anesthesia providers typically spend most of their time (Wright, 2012). Just being around in such close to these potent drugs can have adverse effects. This leads into a discussion about what causes dependency on …show more content…
It can be very harmful and difficult to try and cease the use of drugs once someone is addicted to them. As many times we learn, prevention starts with education. Detrimental to this cause is the fact that even today, there is no standard for substance abuse education in medical schools or anesthesia programs. On a positive note, formal substance abuse education has increased in 123 anesthesiology resident programs by 47 percent and much of the education is mandatory (Wright, 2012). There are also many signs to look for in finding out if a nurse is diverting drugs for their own use and abusing them. These signs may include arriving early or staying late at work, coming in on days off, excessive “wasting” of drugs, volunteering to give other nurses patients their medications, and frequent bathroom breaks. If a patient reports unrelieved pain despite an adequate prescription said to have been given to them, this may be an easy sign that the nurse is abusing drugs (Hastings,