Indiana State Nurses Assistance Program: ISNAP
An unsettling statistic, relevant to nursing, is that alcohol and drug abuse have become the third highest preventable health problem in the US.
It is known, that nurses and other health care professionals are not exempt from this health crisis. Not only do we, as nurses, need to be aware of these statistics so we can safely care for our patients but also for our staff members and ourselves.
Conservative estimates, nationally, suggest that somewhere between 7 to 10% of the American population are addicted to alcohol or other drugs. Many researchers believe the figure to be much higher, reaching nearly twenty percent. Accurate statistical numbers are difficult to obtain, as addiction is a highly stigmatized disease; the addicted person feels tremendous shame and tends to hide.
The impact of a person’s addiction is felt directly AND upon everyone else in their sphere. Family, friends and co-workers are negatively affected. With the impaired nurse, it is patient safety with which we are most concerned. In nursing, the primary concern is for the patient. We cannot accurately determine the actual costs of patient care errors which are caused by impaired nurses.
Some experts in recovery suggest that these estimates are higher than for the general population; due perhaps to nurses’ ready access to controlled substances, as well as the increased stress on today’s nurses. The good news is that for those whodecide to undergo treatment, a successful recovery is possible.