WHAT WOULD YOU DO? NARCOTIC MEDICATIONS ARE MISSING- 1Hr

Course overview

Target audience: The target audience for this education program is nurses who need to know how to deal with the implications of missing medications and confronting the problem of nurse colleagues who may have a substance use disorder. Course overview: Missing medications, particularly missing narcotic medications, is a serious matter. It may be something as simple as someone, in the confusion of the crisis atmosphere, neglected to lock the narcotic cabinet or counted incorrectly during a medication withdrawal. Or it may mean that someone on the unit has stolen narcotics. Substance use disorder is a growing problem. Nurses have an ethical and, in most states, a legal obligation to report nurses suspected of substance use disorder. This education program provides information to help nurses act professionally when dealing with issues surrounding the possible abuse of narcotics. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the learner should be able to: • Identify signs and symptoms of substance use disorder in nurses. • Explain nurses’ obligations regarding the reporting of suspected substance use disorder in nursing colleagues. • Discuss actions to take when there is a suspicion of narcotic tampering and substance use disorder.