Progressing through this course, something that I have learned about myself is that, although my path scholastically has been marred with a lot of degree swapping, I am still interested in pursuing a professional career somewhere in the healthcare field whether it be in radiation therapy, or even reverting back to my previous declaration of pursuing a nursing degree. What intrigues me the most about the healthcare field is how all encompassing “health” is, and how one can pursue whatever it is that interests them so long as it pertains relatively to this field; topic-wise for this course, what I found the most interesting is the discrepancy of healthcare in it’s entirety regarding those with substance abuse disorders and how it impacts those on such a large, systematic scale. No topic that we have covered thus far has made me uncomfortable. One thing that I learned that I may adopt into my practice as a nurse, if I so choose to revert back to such a career from radiation therapy, is how empathy can go a long way in not just professional practice, but life in general. At the end of the day, we are all in this together as a collective – what’s the purpose of casting negative judgment unto others for no real reason? Thank you for this experience!
Posts
Reflection Blog Post 3: Engaging the Nursing Community in Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
Regarding one of the barriers mentioned in the podcast that hinders patient’s access to proper OUD treatment is that there is a shortage of licensed providers of buprenorphine. A figure mentioned in the podcast is that in 2017, 8.5% of 39,000 waivered physicians were able to provide treatment for 275 patients as the maximum. Because of this, there are long waiting lists of patients seeking treatment which affects a multitude of other issues such as insurance coverage, access to treatment, stigma, etc.
In reference to the Office Based Addiction Treatment Model and Massachusetts Model, the common theme for combating the aforementioned issues and treating Opioid Use Disorder, is to increase the access of treatment to patients and integrating treatment into community health centers, etc. to help ease the stigma of OUD, while at the same time providing more access to proper treatment.
I could see myself working this type of nursing role, if and only if I were to be paid more because of the additional accreditation and required to receive proper training, on top of the already tremendous amount of time in having to attend school at a collegiate level. These days, student loans are no joke, and if it pays more and at a reasonable rate, I would certainly do it. Anything for cash.
Juxtaposing Patients With Substance Abuse Disorder & Other Chronic Health Conditions
Regarding the difference that patients who suffer from substance abuse disorder and those who suffer from other chronic health conditions, I believe that one of the major differences is the preconceived notion that those who suffer from substance abuse disorder is at fault, and because of this notion, they are looked down upon by society, which may trickle into those who are within the healthcare system. Often times, some people may feel that those who suffer from substance abuse disorder are the one to blame for their situation, as opposed to their counterparts who may suffer from other chronic health conditions, let’s use thyroid disease as an example. An individual may believe that the patient who suffers from thyroid disease was just a victim of circumstance, whereas they may also feel that the other patient who suffers from substance abuse disorder had control of their situation, and that is not always the case. Adversely let us create another scenario in which we compare a similarity of how patients are treated similarly in a healthcare setting. Perhaps an individual may have been prescribed a medication that was meant to alleviate another form of chronic health condition, however that same individual became physiologically dependent in some form or fashion to that same medication which led to their substance abuse disorder. A more specific example would be an individual who was prescribed opioids for pain, however they became very dependent on these same opioids, to the point where it was destructive to themselves and it evolved into a substance abuse disorder. In this scenario, the patient came into the healthcare setting to cure one ailment, however they received another. Regardless in whatever scenario it is, the similarity between both is that it is the healthcare system’s responsibility to treat the patient regardless of circumstance or condition. They may be looked at differently, however whatever side of the coin the patient falls on – whether it be one who suffers from other chronic health conditions or one who suffers from substance abuse disorder – the individual came to seek treatment from the healthcare system and should be treated accordingly.
Works Referenced
https://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2017/10/substance-use-disorders-are-associated-major-medical-illnesses-mortality-risk-in-large-integrated
This resource elucidated unto me that perhaps those with substance abuse disorders have substance abuse disorders because these individuals initially sought treatment of another health condition and although the healthcare system briefly alleviated one issue they unfortunately created another more detrimental one for them.
My Opinion Regarding the Stigma of Patients With Substance Abuse Disorder
As a student aspiring to enter the healthcare field, I believe that it is irresponsible for any individual working within said field to harbor any negative feelings or opinions towards a patient in need. Regarding my loose interpretation of the Hippocratic Oath, it states that physicians ought to “to treat the ill to the best of one’s ability, to preserve a patient’s privacy, to teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation, and so on (Shiel Jr.).” With this in mind, I also feel that this oath applies to the aforementioned circumstance regarding the stigma of patients with substance abuse disorder. The use of language towards this group of individuals heavily dictates others perception of these same individuals. Words such as “addict” and “substance abuser,” are detrimental to this group because: it may be perceived that the substance abusers are “more likely to benefit from punishment, are less likely to benefit from treatment, more likely to be socially threatening, and more likely to be blamed for their [difficulties that was a result of something they could not control].” At the end of the day, negativity does no good for anybody and a tip that I have for society, as a whole, is to try and be more understanding and respectful of everybody’s circumstance regardless of what they are going through, because we are all essentially the same blood and bone. Education of stigmatizing those with substance abuse disorder and the consequences of such language could also prove to be a solution to combat this stigma.
Works Cited
https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20909
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