Outcomes of Substance Use Disorder Monitoring Programs for Nurses

Comparing nurses attending a specialised mental health programme with and without substance use disorder: a retrospective, observational study in Spain

OBJECTIVES

To analyse the differences between nurses with and without substance use disorders (SUDs) admitted to a specialised mental health programme.

DESIGN

Retrospective, observational study.

SETTING

Specialised mental health treatment programme for nurses in Catalonia, Spain.

PARTICIPANTS

1091 nurses admitted to the programme from 2000 to 2021.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES

Sociodemographic, occupational and clinical variables were analysed. Diagnoses followed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision criteria.

RESULTS

Most nurses admitted to the programme were women (88%, n=960) and came voluntarily (92.1%, n=1005). The mean age at admission was 45 (SD=10.4) years. The most common diagnoses were adjustment disorders (36.6%, n=399), unipolar mood disorders (25.8%, n=282), anxiety disorders (16.4%, n=179) and SUDs (13.8%, n=151). Only 19.2% (n=209) of the sample were hospitalised during their first treatment episode. After multivariate analysis, suffering from a SUD was significantly associated with being a man (OR=4.12; 95% CI 2.49 to 6.82), coming after a directed referral (OR=4.55; 95% CI 2.5 to 7.69), being on sick leave at admission (OR=2.21; 95% CI 1.42 to 3.45) and needing hospitalisation at the beginning of their treatment (OR=12.5; 95% CI 8.3 to 20).

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses with SUDs have greater resistance to voluntarily asking for help from specialised mental health treatment programmes and have greater clinical severity compared with those without addictions. SUDs are also more frequent among men. More actions are needed to help prevent and promote earlier help-seeking behaviours among nurses with this type of mental disorder.

American Academy of Nursing Expert Panel Consensus Statement on leveraging equity in policy to improve recognition and treatment of mental health, substance use disorders, and nurse suicide

Rates of nurse mental health and substance use disorders are high. Heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are challenged to care for patients in ways that often jeopardize their own health and increase risks for their families. These trends exacerbate the epidemic of suicide in nursing underscored by several professional organization clarion calls to nurses' risk. Principles of health equity and trauma-informed care dictate urgent action. The purpose of this paper is to establish consensus among clinical and policy leaders from Expert Panels of the American Academy of Nursing about actions to address risks to mental health and factors contributing to nurse suicide. Recommendations for mitigating barriers drew from the CDC's 2022 Suicide Prevention Resource for Action strategies to guide the nursing community to inform policy, education, research, and clinical practice with the goals of greater health promotion, risk reduction, and sustainment of nurses' health and well-being are provided.

The Importance of a Recovery Friendly Environment Following Treatment for Substance Use Disorder

Substance use disorder (SUD) continues to be a public health concern for state boards of nursing and returning to work after treatment can be a challenging experience. A Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) supports the workplace community by recognizing recovery from SUD as a strength and the willingness to work intentionally with people in recovery. RFW fosters an environment that encourages healthy and safety among employees to decrease barriers for those impacted by SUD. This article describes the risks of SUD in health care, barriers to returning to work during recovery, and the important aspects of an RFW in health care.

Destigmatizing alcohol use disorder among nurses

ABSTRACT

The use of alcohol to cope with work-related stress is an increasing problem among nurses. However, barriers to diagnosis and treatment keep nurses with alcohol use disorder (AUD) from getting the help they need. This article discusses the issues and treatment obstacles affecting AUD among nurses, and outlines compassionate, stigma-free paths forward.