Substance Abuse Among Medical Patients: A Hidden Truth (HS - Talbert - 076905)

Course overview

*Pharmacology of abused substances *Effective screening of medical patients for substance use disorders *Assessment and treatment of withdrawal symptoms *Emergency interventions *Medical complications of substance use disorders The typical med/surg nurse cares for 6 patients in a shift. Statistics indicate that 2 of those patients have an underlying substance use disorder. Are you prepared to deal with withdrawal symptoms? Do you know how to assess for them? A patient is recovering from his knee surgery and is reporting 10/10 pain. This seems impossible to you, as you have given him 20mg of IV Dilaudid. You think to yourself, "He should be apneic with that much Dilaudid!" How is this patient requiring so much opiate analgesia - and how much can you really give him? A patient is admitted to the hospital for a leg abscess. She reports that she was bitten by a spider and it continued to get worse. She is receiving IV antibiotics. As you assess her, you notice strange looking vein patterns - almost as if her veins were black beneath the skin. Later in your shift, she begins sweating profusely, has diarrhea and begins yelling that her skin is crawling and her joints hurt tremendously. What is going on with her? With the pervasive problems our society has with substance abuse, it is imperative that healthcare professionals have skill to meet the physical and psychological needs of those trusted to our care. JeanAnne Johnson Talbert, DHA, APRN-BC, FNP, PMHNP, AOCN, CARN-AP, will draw from her vast expertise during this practice-changing one-day event. You are guaranteed to leave with new ideas and insights to tackle the often "Hidden Truth" behind the complex medical patients you see.