Substance Abuse among Nurses: Types of Drugs

Substance abuse among nurses can have significant ramifications for patient care, productivity, and personal well-being. Existing evidence suggests that critical care nurses are especially vulnerable to pressures that induce substance abuse. Consequently, critical care leaders and nurses need to be prepared to help their impaired colleagues. This paper provides several valuable guidelines for addressing substance abuse based on an exploratory study of the types of drugs or substances most frequently abused among nurses.