Substance abuse refers to the harmful or excessive use of psychoactive substances, such as drugs or alcohol, that can result in negative consequences for the individual’s physical health, mental well-being, and overall life functioning.
The major nursing care planning goals for the child experiencing abuse includes ensuring adequate nutrition, safety of the abused child, relief from anxiety, improving parenting skills and building parental confidence.
Substance dependence is a growing health problem in clients of childbearing age, so its incidence during pregnancy is also increasing. The number of women who use illicit substances during pregnancy is unknown, but as many as 375,000 infants may be affected yearly. As many as 10% to 20% of pregnant women admit to using illicit substances during pregnancy. Adolescents have an increased rate of inhalant abuse and binge drinking.
Substance abuse, or also known as drug abuse, is a disorder of continuum of phases incorporating a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms that include loss of control over use of the substance and a continued use of the substance despite adverse consequences.
Nurses play a crucial role in the care of patients with confusion and altered mental status, and their nursing care plan should be individualized to the patient’s needs and circumstances.
Sometimes, people cross the line of being rude and are verbally abusive. Here are a few tips to help you manage verbally abusive patients.
1 in 10 of nurses may be impaired due to the abuse of drugs or alcohol.
Do you suspect that a co-worker is abusing drugs or alcohol and impaired while at work? What are the signs? What should you do about it?
As a nurse, you could be the one contact who identifies a victim of human trafficking and provides the means of release. However, you need to know of the signs that the patient is possibly a victim of trafficking and how to manage this highly sensitive situation.
What would you do in this situation?