Are you frightened of an upcoming hospital visit or surgery? While I would like to say those fears are ill-founded, you may have good reason to fear. As crazy as it sounds, the fact is that many healthcare professionals may be performing their jobs under the influence of a controlled substance. There's been a steady stream of news lately about nurses charged with stealing pain meds. In later parts of this series we will look at a theft from a labor and delivery unit and this one from a nursing home.
It has been speculated that use of prescription medications is higher for nurses than for others. Why do you think that is? A possibility is that they have easy access to the medications. As reported in www.healthleadersmedia.com.
And when healthcare providers abuse drugs, they're not just harming themselves; they're also potentially harming their patients. From caring for patients while impaired, to stealing medications meant for patients, to actually infecting patients with using dirty syringes, the safety ramifications of prescription drug abuse among healthcare workers are far-reaching.
Do you know a nurse or other healthcare professional that uses or abuses prescription medication? If so, I would like to hear from you, anonymously of course, as to what you think about this. Here at the blog for onlinedrugclass.com we are committed to not only exposing potentially dangerous situation, but more importantly to help those who suffer from the ravages of addiction.