Question

You are an acute care nurse practitioner who works in an urban emergency room (ER). You see many people who come to the ER who have overdosed (OD) on heroin. Emergency medical services personnel may administer a drug that might reverse the overdose such as naloxone (Narcan). You may see three ODs during each 12-hour shift; some of these patients are admitted to the hospital, and others are sent home with a consultation for psychiatric followup. You are becoming hardened to the issue and have begun to question what you can do to address this epidemic.

Discussion Points

1.   You hear that the state health director is convening a task force. List four actions you can take to be invited to participate in this task force.

2.   Which other healthcare professionals should be included on the task force?

3.   Which state agencies and regulatory boards could add value to the discussion?

4.   Which information/experience could the APRN use to lead a discussion about widespread addiction?

5.   Identify three issues that might be brought up at a meeting that could derail a focus on public safety. Which tactics can the nurse use to bring the discussion back to the issue of safety?

6.   Which design tactics could be considered when writing a policy to address this issue?

7.   How can information about this issue be disseminated within the profession and to those outside the profession?

Answer 1

1, Intervention action:
-Prevnetion from opioid use
-REscue through naloxone
-Treatment to imporve quaty and availbility
-recovery-access to medication assited treatment and peer-recovery service.
2, HEalth IT professonal, Dotor, nurse practioner, nurse, psychologist, care managers, social workers, licenses counselor, peer workers, health educators are an important health care professionals to meet the needs of the patients.
3, State agency including medical directors from health care authority, department of labor and industries, health office and board of health, the office of the insurance commissioner, department of correction and veterans affairs.
4, Early intervention to avoid risk and harm and risk behavior injury, substance use screening tool for mental health issues, intebention through counselling using conversational approach change their behavior, referrals to treatment to meet the problem, engagning in special treatment, adhere to treatment, comprehensive addiction and recovery act. Advanced practioner nurse experience in administration of prescribing buprenorphine based drugs and naloxone for substance use disorder provide intervention.