In an article by Daniel Angres, M.D., et al. titled, “Nurses with Chemical Dependency: Promoting Successful Treatment and Reentry” (published in The Journal of Nursing Regulation), the authors state the literature on chemical dependency in nurses lags far behind that for other health-care professionals, particularly physicians. “However,” they point out, “with nurses on the front…
When most dentists show up for work at a dental office, they’re not working alongside another dentist who is impaired by alcohol or drugs. Still, statistics indicate anywhere from 12 to 19% of dentists face a substance use disorder within their lifetime.[1] Given this understandably surprising (if not startling) information, the question arises: What can…
When we arrive at our dentist’s office for an appointment, not one of us would expect—or want—to find out he or she is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, right? Yet according to Michel A. Sucher, MD, medical director of the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners’ Monitored Aftercare Treatment Program, “About 10 to…
When dealing with a substance abuse issue, addicted professionals must deal with it differently. Being a professional puts addiction in a completely different light and calls for distinctive addiction treatment solutions. There are many professionals who are addicted to some substance or another, but people often don’t realize the extent of their problem. Sometimes professionals…
Given the current COVID-19 health crisis, every U.S. community depends on the mental health of its frontline healthcare workers, including emergency and hospital personnel, doctors and nurses. According to a new study, those regularly facing pandemic-related stressors are at greater risk for mental health problems. The research, which was published in the November 2020 online…
According to research conducted by Lisa Merlo, PhD, a researcher at the University of Florida’s Center for Addiction Research and Education and published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, while doctors abuse alcohol or drugs at about the same rate as the general public, they’re five times as likely to abuse prescription drugs.[1] There are…
[Note to Reader: This is “Part Two” in a 2-part blog-post. Please go to Archives for “Part One.”] In seeking to maximize patient safety, all U.S. states offer some form of an “impaired healthcare professionals program” aimed at assisting doctors, nurses and others in the healthcare field who’re struggling with a substance use disorder to…
The Challenges Addicted Doctors & Nurses Face Require Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment – PART ONE Most people in the U.S. consider doctors and nurses to be representatives of healthy habits and lifestyles, and indeed research has shown that assumption is generally true. Those in the healthcare field tend to smoke less and exercise more.[1] However,…
Most people would agree: Being a healthcare worker—especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic—isn’t a career for the faint of heart. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals shoulder a lot of responsibility and regularly work in demanding, high-pressure environments. (I can’t imagine a more stressful place to work, these days, than a hospital or medical clinic.)…
It should go without saying that nurses who have an untreated substance use disorder (addiction to alcohol or drugs) are not only endangering themselves, but their patients, as well. One of the key words in this statement is “untreated.” Why? Because untreated implies addiction is treatable. Indeed, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse,…