Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of a survey of advanced practice nurses (APNs) to determine the activities they perform related to caring for patients with addictions and or co-occurring mental health disorders, the amount of addictions education in their graduate programs, and their perceptions of the value of addictions education for their role. Data were obtained from 233 APNs in New York State using a tool adapted from a previous job analysis survey. APNs reported the greatest amount of experience in history taking for various types of addictions and co-occurring mental health disorders and least amount of experience in performing objective exams, using standardized screening tools, ordering related diagnostic tests, prescribing pharmacological treatments, and making referrals for addiction treatment. Respondents reported a mean of less than three hours addictions education in their graduate programs in contrast to their high perceived importance of this clinical area.
Highlights
Three-fourths of all deaths among people in the United States aged 10 to 24 are related to accidents, homicide, and suicide and a majority of these deaths can be traced to substance use (Guiao, Blakemore, & Wise, 2004)
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a survey of advanced practice nurses (APNs) practicing in New York State that describe the types of addictions activities these nurses report using in their
Of the 233 participants, 200 provided sufficient data to classify them as follows: (1) family nurse practitioner (FNP) (n = 89, 44.5%); (2) Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP) (n = 56, 28%); (3) Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) (n = 23, 11.5%); (4) Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) (n = 17, 8.5%); and (5) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) (n = 4, 2%); Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (GNP) (n = 4, 2%); and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) (n = 1, 0.5%). The majority of these nurse practitioners (NP) curricula are usually focused on primary care within the population of interest, there was no way to determine if these NPs were in a primary care practice
Summary
Three-fourths of all deaths among people in the United States aged 10 to 24 are related to accidents, homicide, and suicide and a majority of these deaths can be traced to substance use (Guiao, Blakemore, & Wise, 2004). Addictions encompass (1) substance (illicit and prescriptive drugs, alcohol, and nicotine) use, misuse, and abuse/dependence disorders; (2) impulse control disorders ( e.g. problem gambling, sex addiction) that are characterized by a failure to resist an impulse, drive or temptation to perform an act that is harmful to the person or others; and (3) eating disorders that are characterized by inability to regulate eating habits, which interferes with bio-psychosocial and socio-cultural integrity (e.g. anorexia, bulimia, obesity) (Armstrong et al, 2006) The etiology of these chronic brain disorders parallels other conditions that involve both genetic predisposition and behavioral choices that induce a change in anatomy and biochemistry of the body (Wilcox & Erickson, 2000). There is evidence, especially in older adolescents, that maladaptive dieting strategies, such as vomiting or laxative use to lose weight, are associated with substance use These risky dietary behaviors are more common with females than males (Garry, Morrissey & Whetstone, 2002), high risk behaviors in both sexes suggest the need for early screening in the primary care setting to detect addictions and related health problems
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