How Nurses Protect Themselves from the Opioid Crisis

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…

Combatting the Opioid Epidemic

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…

The Narcan Debate

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…

The Narcan Debate: Saving Lives or Enabling Addicts?

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…

Drug Testing for Teens

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…