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Reflection Blog Post 4

  • What is something you learned about yourself as you’ve progressed through this course?

Prior to this course, I haven’t given much thought on the way Patients with substance abuse have been treated in a hospital setting, however I find that during this course, being required to reflect on substance abuse for most of the topics throughout this class and the way medical professionals are possibly biased towards patients with substance abuse, I find that this material has a broadened my outlook and perspective on patients with different ethnic, and religious backgrounds. I developed a better understanding on how patients with substance abuse are needed to be treated! It is important to speak on substance abuse.

  • What topic did you find the most interesting?

The topic that I found most interesting would have been Blog topic 1, and reflecting off of stigma and personal bias within healthcare professionals because it is very interesting to hear bias within the healthcare system and what we need to do to eliminate bias when treating patients.

  • What topic did you find to be the most uncomfortable?

I didn’t find any topic to really be uncomfortable, just because I don’t find a reason to look at this assignments to make somebody feel uncomfortable, but they are used to rather help us have a broader look on important topics regarding substance abuse, and the different backgrounds that patients come from.

  • Share 1 thing learned that you will adopt into your practice as a nurse?

One thing that I have learned to help me adopt into a practice as a nurse is that I am for sure still interested in wanting to work in a hospital where people need the help of medical professionals. Working with people as a nurse, it is your job to make sure that the people you are working with are getting the treatment that they need, and that all circumstances are taken into consideration!

Reflection Blog 3

Barriers for treating SUD: 

The opioid crisis is a huge concern in today’s society. The video highlights statistical information on the opioid crisis and as of 2019, over 90 Americans today die from opioid overdose. About 80 percent of people who have used heroin before have misused prescription opioids. Now our concern is, what are some barriers to keep in mind when diagnosing, or treating a patient with a history of substance abuse?

 

  • Obtaining a Bus Waiver – Board certification in addiction to medicine addiction psychiatry by the American board of Addiction. Apply for a waiver through SAMHSA and the DEA.
  • Expanding prescribing access to nurse practitioners – The CARA of 2016, expanding access to physician assistants and nurse practitioners in office-based settings.

Some Barriers Mentioned directly in the video,

  • insufficient nursing support (20%)
  • payment issues (17%)
  • pharmacy issues (8%)
  • low demand (7%)
  • office staff stigma (5%)
  • insufficient physician knowledge (3%)

These were all results from a survey taken in 2005 conducted by physicians with a sample size of 156 people.

 

My thoughts on these barriers would be to make sure that physicians aren’t lacking knowledge on such treatments needed for patients with a history of substance abuse.

 

Successful nurse management model for treatment of SUD:

Many empowered nurses try to eliminate wait lists for patients, and try their best to allow patients the ability to get the treatment that they need when and wherever they need it. Nurses are trained with tools to help provide buprenorphine.

  • BMC’S office-based addiction treatment (OBAT) model – provides collaborative care where nurse care managers work with physicians to deliver outpatient addiction to treatments with buprenorphine and injectable naltrexone. They are fully integrated into primary care.
  • open communication NCM and other providers, improved access to OBAT and daily management of complex psychosocial needs. physician time is allowed focus on patient management.

 

Although it would come off as hard and needing to be cautious on the job when working as this nursing role, I would for sure be interested in working in this field for this reason, because although nurses are put into a tough position when working with patients with a history of substance abuse, I would be given the opportunity too change someones life for the better; also knowing that they are getting treatment that they need when and wherever they need it!