Public Health Problem Substance Abuse Among Nurses

Public Health Problem: Substance Abuse Among Nurses Introduction As a healthcare professional, we are responsible for the delivery of high quality patient care. Substance abuse among nurses is an issue that threatens professional standards and can lead to poor patient outcomes (Rohma,2012). According to Healthy People 2020, an estimated 22 million Americans struggled with drug or alcohol abuse in the year 2005 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS],2013). Given that the nurses have easy access to controlled substances, this population is likely to be higher than the general public. Substance abuse is the repeated excessive use or misuse of a psychoactive substance, especially alcohol or a drug. The consequences of substance abuse results in failure to accomplish major role obligations at work leading to suspension or a loss of job (Allender et al.,2014, p621). 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