The chemically dependent nurse.

Although exact numbers are not known, it is recognized that addiction to alcohol and other drugs occurs in nurses as it does in other occupations. There is some indication that nurses may be at greater risk for the development of addictive disease because of factors present in the profession. The nursing profession is recognizing the problem impaired practice presents and is working to develop programs to ensure that the issue of the impaired nurse is no longer denied by institutions, administrators, and individual nurses. There is a need for education of the profession in regard to the nature of addictive disease and the identification of the nurse whose practice has become impaired because of the use of alcohol or other drugs. Nurses also need to know more about intervention, treatment, and monitoring of recovery. It is the responsibility of the entire profession to see that programs designed to accomplish these tasks are in place in all states. The goals of programs for the impaired nurse are to protect the safety of individual patients, to safeguard the integrity of the profession, and to facilitate treatment and rehabilitation for the chemically dependent nurse.