[URO-RN]

http://www.todaystmj4.com/features/iteam/7402976.html

[NRSKarenRN]

A big I-Team investigation uncovers drug-addicted nurses on duty... taking chances with the care you get.
In fact, it happens all the time: Nurses feeding their addictions, risking patients' safety to do it.
When you check into a hospital, there's already enough to worry about. Asking the nurse checking you out, "Hey, are you sober?" never even makes the list.

Guess this journalist FAILED math class.

The Wisconsin Nurses Association figures somewhere around 10% of the state's 80,000 licensed nurses battle addiction

That means 90% non-impaired nurses.Therefore 90% > 10% refuting "happens all the time" statement.

and

Wisconson Nurses Assoc. Responses To Above Article
Members Corespondence to WTMJ4

states

Dear colleagues, friends and family members: On Thursday, May 10, 2007 WTMJ Channel 4 television chose to run a story entitled“It's another big I - team investigation: How nurses are risking your health…for their high.” The story, which ran over 6 minutes during the 35 minute news program, portrayed 10% of Wisconsin Nurses as “battling addiction”. They ran a follow-up story Friday night. The content of this story, with its dramatic sound effects, was sensationalized,unconscionable, and biased journalism. We believe the portrayal of one in tennurses as drug-addicted is unethical and erodes the confidence of both the community members we serve and the nurses with whom we work. The one “fact” included in the report was that 200 out of 80,000 Wisconsin nurses were “caught” in drug-related issues between 2002 and 2006. In reality the four year period resulted in only .25%, or ¼ of 1% of the nursing force being sanctioned related to drug use. Dividing the 200 cases involving nurses by 4 years results in 50 nurses (.06%) out of 80,000 being sanctioned by the State Board of Nurses each of the four years. This is indeed a minuscule number of nurses who are addicted. Please join us in responding to this egregious, inflammatory news story.

This report gets an F

[NRSKarenRN]

General & News Comments
email: tmj4feedback@todaystmj4.com


WTMJ-TV, Channel 4, NBC
720 E. Capitol Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53212-1371

Tel: (414) 332-9611
Fax: (414) 967-5255

Mark Strachota
Vice President and General Manager
Tel: (414) 967-5205
Fax: (414) 967-5255
mstrachota@journalbroadcastgroup.com

[oramar]

How often I wonder do they sensationalize things by playing fast and loose with statistics. That is criminal.

[happybunny1970]

What an idiot. I feel for all the nurses who had to deal with paranoid and huffy patients/families immediately following this broadcast.

[anonymurse]

Luckily, pretty much everyone knows an upstanding nurse. I don't think anyone except other professional troublemakers are going to take this article seriously.

[oramar]

This reminds me of something. There was another article along this line in which a nurse with a history of drug abuse told reporter that one out of every three nurses diverts drugs. That was also outrageous. What was even more outrageous was that they used the statement as a headline.

[pickledpepperRN]

I've googled away and can't find a link. About 15 years ago I read a statistic from multiple 12 step studies. Nurses, both RN and LPN/LVN who admit an addition to drugs and/or alcohol and begin treatment have the highest success rate of any group. This was true of all age and ethnic groups in the United States and Canada. First time success was between 47% and 78%.
Nurses who stopped attending at least one meeting a month were not counted as successful.

I am glad so many boards of nursing have rehabilitation or diversion programs.

[RoseNJRN2B]

I wonder if they'll be following up with a story on drug-addicted doctors and pharmacists.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I, too, am rather tired of reading of addicted NURSES, as if we are the only professionals vulnerable.