References
‘Selling their souls?’ Nurses' understanding of addiction and recovery in acute hospital settings
Abstract
Background:
Nursing disciplines do not currently have a shared understanding of addiction or recovery to address their contribution to their patients' needs. Recent developments of addiction nursing models, alongside an international move to standardise language, is slow to be reflected in nurses' perceptions in acute hospital settings.
Aim:
To explore nurses' understanding of addiction and recovery in acute general hospitals.
Methods:
A qualitative study with semi-structured open-ended questions informed by a prior literature review was undertaken with nurses working in an acute general hospital in Dublin, Ireland.
Results:
The identified themes were the knowledge of addiction, including physical and psychological needs, and the understanding of recovery, patient-centred services and the impact of the individual's environment.
Conclusion:
Standardising language for addiction and recovery and improving addiction education will give nurses a better understanding of the chronic nature of substance use and the importance of this in providing high-quality health care.
The latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) are that nearly 35 million of the world's population are affected by harmful substance use and dependence, and harmful use of alcohol accounts for nearly 5.3% of deaths worldwide (WHO, 2022a; 2024). Despite the evident burden of substance misuse on the world's population, healthcare workers (HCWs) may not associate this with hospital admissions. This may be because of insufficient research into this area, despite some studies highlighting this occurrence (Barnett et al, 2021). A recent study from the USA indicated that between 33% and 41% of hospitalised individuals have used illicit substances during their admission (Eaton et al, 2020). Similarly, a Canadian study noted that of the 1028 participants who were admitted to hospital, 43.9% reported using substances during their hospital stay (Grewal et al, 2015). From an Irish perspective, recent data shows that figures for drug-related admissions are increasing, with 5457 individuals being admitted to hospital in 2020 (of whom 55 died in hospital, leaving 5402 non-fatal overdose admissions) (Millar, 2022). These three studies highlight the inevitability of nurses encountering individuals who use substances in a general hospital setting.
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