Confessions of a Hospital Administrator: I Feel Your Pain...Pill

[ServantLeader]

Agreed. I finally learned that if I wanted to manage any problem in a hospital, to ask the nurses and as much as possible, do that. Nurses always came up with better solutions than I or my leadership team could figure out. I looked smart and the nurses, patients and medical staff were happier - win-win.

[ServantLeader]

And the word should be succinctly, not succulently...

[littlelimabean01, LPN]

Our society has catered to this behavior for so long. People expect to be pain free when they come to the hospital. It is a part of that "right now" mentality that has developed nationwide. And now we have suboxone clinics, which are supposedly opioid addiction management centers. Ha. It's like trading one addiction for another.

I wish people would see that when you continually take these opioids just to get high, and then actually need them for pain after mvc or surgery, these medicines won't work any more.

Until nationwide standards are set, we as health care providers will continue to deal with this problem. I wish more administrators were as supportive as you are. I think if more CEOs took phone calls from these people or had to come into the hospital in the middle of the night to deal with this, our plight would be seen and we may actually get the raises and support we deserve!

I have a friend who was addicted to pain killers and went to one of those suboxone clinics. Yes, it did seem like WTH? You are just trading one addiction for another. Well, it took about 8-9 months and the suboxone no longer made him high. He said he just felt normal. He then tiered himself down and is no longer a user. Sure he still craves the high, but knows getting clean was hell. I have sympathy for addicts because I know happy people do not use drugs.

[mrsjonesRN]

I have a friend who was addicted to pain killers and went to one of those suboxone clinics. Yes, it did seem like WTH? You are just trading one addiction for another. Well, it took about 8-9 months and the suboxone no longer made him high. He said he just felt normal. He then tiered himself down and is no longer a user. Sure he still craves the high, but knows getting clean was hell. I have sympathy for addicts because I know happy people do not use drugs.

I'm glad your friend has a good success story from the use of a suboxone clinic. I've just seen so many people around my area abuse the heck out of the stuff. I've never met anyone that's actually gotten clean off of it; I guess that's why I am kind of quick to judge the purpose of the substance. I also have a parent that abuses suboxone. If it can actually help people, I am all for it.

[Ranax]

The team approach is a solid tactic. No more Good cop, Bad cop practices.

[LTCNS, LPN]

What's so very frustrating for me, as a chronic pain sufferer from fibromyalgia, grade 2 spondylolisthesis, horribly painful idiopathic neuropathy, bone spurs in my neck and degenerative cervical disc disease, those who drug seek make it very hard for people like myself to get the relief they need. There are times I am in excruciating pain and probably should be treated in an ED setting, but I find myself not seeking help for fear of being labeled as a drug seeker. I feel as those like myself who genuinely suffer very real pain are punished because of those who just want to get high. Most physicians these days are scared to write Rx for pain meds. for fear of being taken out in handcuffs for abusing the system.

With all that said, I am extremely sympathetic to opiate addicted patients. Someone very close to me is opiate addicted and it breaks my heart to watch it. I know how addictive opiate pain meds. can be because of the way they make people who take them feel, and how hard and scary it is to try and get clean. My heart goes out to those who are dependent on them to get through the day.