CASE STUDY: The Addiction Epidemic
You are a nurse who works in an urban emergency room (ER). You see many people who come to the ER who have overdosed (OD) on heroin. Emergency
medical services personnel may administer a drug that might reverse the overdose such as naloxone (Narcan). You may see three ODs during each 12-hour
shift; some of these patients are admitted to the hospital, and others are sent home with a consultation for psychiatric followup. You are becoming hardened
to the issue and have begun to question what you can do to address this epidemic.
Please use the textbook and at least one additional scholarly reference to answer the below discussion questions:
Discussion Points
You hear that the state health director is convening a task force. List four actions you can take to be invited to participate in this task force.
Which other healthcare professionals should be included on the task force?
Which state agencies and regulatory boards could add value to the discussion?
Which information/experience could the RN use to lead a discussion about widespread addiction?
Identify three issues that might be brought up at a meeting that could derail a focus on public safety. Which tactics can the nurse use to bring the discussion
back to the issue of safety?
Which design tactics could be considered when writing a policy to address this issue?
How can information about this issue be disseminated within the profession and to those outside the profession?
