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ABSTRACT
* IT IS NOT EASY to report a coworker who may have a substance abuse problem, so many nurses choose to remain silent about this issue.
* THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES suggestions for staff nurses about how to confront a peer, document inappropriate nursing behaviors related to substance abuse, and report these issues to a manager. The manager's role in counseling and intercession with a substance abusing employee also is detailed.
* REMEDIATION AND SUPPORT programs are addressed along with return-to-work issues and the need for education about this debilitating disease. AORN J 82 (November 2005) 777-799.
Editor's note: This is the second article in a two-part series on substance abuse among nurses. Part I was published in the October 2005 issue of the AORN Journal.
Drug and alcohol addictions are primary, chronic, progressive, and often fatal health problems, but many nurses choose to remain silent about a colleague who may have a substance abuse problem. It is not easy to report a coworker because of friendship, loyalty, fear of being a hypocrite, guilt, or fear of jeopardizing a colleague's license to practice.
It is helpful to remember, however, that the reason for reporting inappropriate nursing behavior is to protect patients, not punish the caregiver. It is the responsibility of the person who discovers a problem to report this situation via appropriate channels. This article discusses how to confront and report a nurse suspected of having a substance abuse problem and the nurse manager's role in counseling and intercession. Available remedial programs, return-to-work issues, and the continuing need for education regarding substance abuse among nurses also are presented.
REPORTING A PEER
If a nurse suspects that a colleague has a substance abuse problem, it is best that he or she first talk to the nurse about the situation discreetly and in a nonconfrontational manner because there may be a reasonable explanation for the suspicious behavior. The concerned person should take the suspected nurse aside and let him or her know that patient care might be jeopardized by the suspected nurse's actions.1 The individual should express concern for the nurse's well-being. Examples of statements of concern are, "You aren't as clear in your charting today as you usually are," or, "You made three mistakes in...