Substance Abuse Within Health Care Professionals - Free Essay Example

In the article of, Substance Abuse among Health-care Professionals in Rutherford and Surrounding Counties, a questionnaire survey was given to 1,817 health-care professionals via mail. Only 775 questionnaire surveys were completed at a return rate of 43%. It was found that substance abuse was found in every occupation. This includes from entry level to the executive-chief level. The survey found that the top choices of substance abuse was alcohol, prescription drugs, and cocaine. Health-care workers had prescription drugs readily available which made it easier for accessibility. Physicians who have a drug dependency are defined as impaired because of the inability for a physician to practice medicine safely. About 1/8 of physicians were impaired, 2/3 abused alcohol, and 1 in 30 misused prescription drugs. Nurses within the field were also found to be impaired. About 40,000 were alcoholics in the United States. It was also found that nurses smoke more than physicians, dentists, and pharmacists. It is a higher rate than the womens population. Anesthesiologists were also using two or more drugs at the same time. A program was developed for those Health-care professionals who were impaired were to undergo a 14-step program to rehabilitate instead of punishment. If a health-care professional was to admit substance abuse they would undergo treatment. In reading this article, I have learned that substance abuse is just about anywhere. I never would have thought that health-care professionals would have these types of obstacles. I knew health-care professionals, especially pharmacists, had an easier access to prescription drugs, but I wouldnt think of them using it on themselves rather than the patient. I also have learned that some of the physicians had experimented with street drugs while attending college. The street drugs includes Marijuana and cocaine. Their social life was nonexistent so many sought to drugs to destress or ease their reality. In reading the article, Physicians and Medical workers, substance abuse among, there was a wide variety of topics. From the different health-care professionals, its etiology, co-occurring disorders, identifying and managing physician patients undergoing treatment, and lastly the PHPS; which stands for Physicians health programs. The article mentions different types of health-care professionals but mentions that anesthesiologists are found to have higher rates of substance abuse disorder. This is due to easy access, curiosity about what drugs feel like for patients, stress and emotional issues, etc. It has also been found that male physicians are predominate from 7 to 1 when it comes to substance abuse. Woman physicians are found to have medical and phycological problems with substance abuse. For physicians to admit to substance abuse and treatment it is vital for intervention, evaluation, and physicians to continue as patients in getting tested and closely monitored. Lastly, Physicians health programs is a program where education is provided in hope of early detection and if needed for referral to treatment. Also, the monitoring of drug in the system by swabbing and testing the sweat, saliva, drawing blood, etc. Aside from the education and drug testing there is recovery support which involves a group-facili tated psychotherapy. There is close monitoring of relapse as well. One interesting fact I read was that physicians did not receive the education or degrees to practice medicine. It was until the mid-1900s that medical boards were created to protect patients from impaired physicians. Another interesting fact I did not know about was that Dr. William Halsted, known as the father of modern surgery, was addicted to cocaine in the late 1800s.