Dependency in Nursing?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Does this still exist with the strict protocols in counting and recounting controlled meds? My DH read a recent article in the paper that it still is a problem in our area and he's a little freaked out.

c.wicks

66 Posts

Specializes in Rural Hospital (we do it all).

Among practicing nurses, estimates of nurses who are chemically dependent range from10% to 20%. Nurses today have a 50% higher rate of chemical dependency than the general population.

This information is available in Journal of Psychosocial Nursing ,34(7):13.

Furball

646 Posts

Hey C.wicks....are you hiking the AT now? A little cold eh?:p

Sally_ICURN

173 Posts

I know of one nurse who got popped for not giving her patients their pain meds after removing them from them PIXIS and charting that she did. The patients in this case were usually unable to communicate due to sedation, intubation, etc. Isn't that one of the saddest and most horrifying things you've ever heard?

She didn't lose her license but she was taken out of direct patient care and required by the BRN and hospital to go into rehab. She found a different job in telephone triaging and is still in rehab.

~Sally :cool:

MPHkatie

177 Posts

I've worked ER for 4 or so years. three different ER's In ALL, we had nurses who were actually terminated for major drug diversion. In some patient care areas it is extremely difficult to divert, but in others (ER, ICU) it can be extremely easy. I was always rather suprised at who was diverting....

My Manager wishes he could do random drug testing, and I actually agree with this policy. If we can randomly test football players, why should we not be randomly testing nurses? I know its a right to privacy, but we literally have people's lives in our hands....

c.wicks

66 Posts

Specializes in Rural Hospital (we do it all).
Originally posted by Furball

Hey C.wicks....are you hiking the AT now? A little cold eh?:p [

/QUOTE]

Furbie, even your name sounds warm to me. Just came down off the mountain to charge up my laptop and scrape the icicles off the keyboard. Then I decided to head down to the "all you can eat-Pizza Buffet" where I made a pig of myself. Now I'm as full as a pregnant tick, flat on her back with eight legs swinging. I wish someone would go on and step on me before I explode.

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