Drug abuse has been an issue of concern for countries globally, and the U.S. is no exception. Even though the focus has been on illicit drugs and addictive substances such as alcohol, statistics indicate that deaths due to dug overdoes have increased significantly in the last 20 years ( American Nurse Association , 2016). Prescription drugs are being abused, particularly opioids analgesics, causing alarm among medical practitioners and the society in general.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 130 people die daily from opioid abuse. The effects of the epidemic are felt not only in public health, but also in economic and social welfare. The CDC estimates the economic burden of the problem to be $78.5 billion annually, taking into account factors such as lost productivity, treatment, crime, and healthcare costs ( National Institute on Drug Abuse , 2019). Considering the scale and impact of opioid addiction in the U.S., it is important to establish how the problem began. Pharmaceutical companies were adamant that prescription opioids were safe for use. As a result, healthcare providers started prescribing them, increasing the accessibility of such drugs for the American public ( National Institute on Drug Abuse , 2019). These events unleashed a monster that went on unnoticed for decades until president Obama announced that there would be coordinated efforts by the government and public sectors to address the epidemic in 2015.
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Even though a collective effort is required to address the problem, registered nurses (RNs) are on the frontline since they are charged with assessing and determining the pain level experienced by patients ( American Nurse Association , 2016). Therefore, the nurses should be equipped with the right knowledge and skills, if the opioid crisis is to be addressed advanced education in areas such as pharmacology will prepare nurses to make critical decisions and make them more accountable. The government and other stakeholders should focus efforts and resources to the training and education of RNs to protect the future generation from the effects of opioid abuse.
References
‘ Opioid Overdose Crisis.’ National Institute on Drug Abuse . 2019. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis
‘ The Opioid Epidemic: Addressing the Growing Drug Overdose Problem.’ American Nurse Association . 2016. Retrieved from <https://www.nursingworld.org/~4ae212/globalassets/docs/ana/ana_issue-brief-opioids_2016may20.pdf>
