Five years ago, Lisa Oldham’s nurses at Orange Regional Medical Center saw, maybe, five, opioid-addicted patients a day. Now, the number has more than doubled, adding physical, mental, and professional stress on the 1,000 nurses working for the upstate New York hospital. “Recently while…
APNA launches webinars to inform nurses about opioid use disorder Opioid drugs-from illicit heroin right down to prescribed oxycodone, hydrocodone and others-have been causing overdose and substance abuse problems for decades. In recent years, however, the pain-relieving, pleasure-inducing drugs have grown from a whisper…
When opioids are on the docket, make sure to conduct frequent respiratory assessments In an article recently published in The Journal of Nursing Administration, Carla Jungquist, PhD, ANP-BC, of the University of Buffalo School of Nursing and her colleagues, looked at data from eight…
The prevalence of opioid abuse is a terrifying reality-and overdoses are becoming increasingly common. Between 2002 and 2014, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths more than quadrupled, with more than 10,500 deaths occurring in 2014 alone.1 However, heroin overdoses do not make up the…
On August 25, 2016, the Surgeon General issued a letter to physicians urging them to take a part in combating the opioid epidemic. On the Surgeon General’s website, healthcare providers are encouraged to help solve the opioid epidemic: “Our nation faces an opioid crisis. Health…
The prevalence of opioid abuse is a terrifying reality-and overdoses are becoming increasingly common. Between 2002 and 2014, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths more than quadrupled, with more than 10,500 deaths occurring in 2014 alone.1 However, heroin overdoses do not make up the…
Nurses working in many areas of care may encounter parents who believe their child may be using drugs. It could be in the ED when the child is brought in on an unrelated issue, in the school setting, in a primary care office, or…