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Essay, Nursing, Pages: 3

Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue: The Opioid Crisis and Its Impact on Psychiatric Nursing

Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue: The Opioid Crisis and Its Impact on Psychiatric Nursing

The opioid epidemic is an acute public health issue that has significantly impacted psychiatric nursing in terms of increased hospital admission rates, nurse fatigue, and resource shortage. Opioid use disorder (OUD) patients present with co-occurring psychiatric illnesses in the vast majority of cases, rendering treatment complicated and calling for an integrated treatment paradigm. Psychiatric nursing plays a key part in treating withdrawal symptoms, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and behavioral therapy. Solutions to this epidemic in the full range include MAT extension, harm reduction programs, and policy modifications to improve patient outcomes and support healthcare providers in delivering efficient, compassionate care: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue: The Opioid Crisis and Its Impact on Psychiatric Nursing.

Impact on Organizations

The opioid epidemic is an acute public health problem causing widespread rates of dependence, overdose deaths, and psychiatric comorbidities. From prescription opioid dependence to increased dependence upon heroin and synthetics such as fentanyl, this epidemic has advanced to an increased number of patients with OUD experiencing co-occurring psychiatric illnesses that have direct implications in psychiatric nursing. Psychiatric nursing is now faced with an increased number of patients who experience opioid-induced psychiatric symptoms, withdrawal symptoms, and recurrences (Dydyk et al., 2024). The challenge of treating illness and dependence simultaneously is an added stressor for healthcare providers, leading to increased stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue.

In our organization, psychiatric admissions owing to opioids have increased by approximately 30% over the past half-decade. Opioid overdose visits to the emergency department have also increased, placing added stress upon acute and psychiatric units. Opioid-related psychiatric hospitalizations have caused facility overcrowding, lengths of stay have been extended, and stress has been placed upon constrained resources.

Psychiatric nurses have to balance MAT while attempting to treat behavioral safety problems, leading to increased rates of burnout (Maglione et al., 2020). Solutions to these issues require an interplay among organizational support, more outstanding treatment options, and policy to alleviate nurse turnover and stigma in treating addiction.

Review of Scholarly Articles

Article #1

The article by Volkow and Blanco (2020) discusses the opioid crisis, its development, and the use of MAT for OUD management. It reveals that the opioid crisis is complex and has biological and societal factors that are crucial to its development. It discusses MAT’s efficacy in treating OUD through the administration of methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.

The article emphasizes more significant public health interventions by reducing harm through practices such as the provision of naloxone and overdose training (Volkow & Blanco, 2020). Moreover, the authors explain that combining mental health services with addiction treatment is necessary for the enhancement of the well-being of people with dual diagnosis.

Article #2

In their article, Spayde-Baker and Patek (2021) note various forms of MAT for opioid dependence, including buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. The study shows that methadone is the best option for the maintenance and prevention of relapses; however, buprenorphine is safer in terms of overdosing. While there is strong evidence showing that extended-release naltrexone is effective in the prevention of relapse, there is low compliance with the medication because patients must abstain from opioid use before its administration.

The article highlights that choosing an ideal MAT should be individualized by patients’ needs, accessibility to treatment, and potential hindrances to compliance (Spayde-Baker & Patek, 2021). The article highlights provider training and awareness in communities to reduce stigma and support patients in engaging in therapy.

Strategies to Address the Opioid Crisis

Several interventions have been put into practice to alleviate the impact of the opioid epidemic in healthcare facilities, including expanding MAT programs, expanding practices in harm reduction, and leveraging telemedicine in treating substance use. Volkow and Blanco (2021) note that MAT in psychiatric facilities helps ensure stability among patients and minimize opioid-related issues.

Healthcare facilities with complete MAT programs in psychiatric units experience improved stability among patients and fewer overdose rates. Other ways in which opioid-related deaths have been decreased and outcomes among patients improved have been through minimizing opioid-related deaths through practices, including distribution of naloxone, consumption in consumption facilities, and opioid education programs.

These practices can potentially enhance care in my organization while causing challenges. Scaling MAT programs creates a demand for increased training in psychiatric nursing staff that can result in short-term opposition or recruitment gaps. Furthermore, while methods in harm reduction work, opposition to these practices can be generated because of stigma and myths regarding treating addiction.

Goldfine et al. (2023) also highlight an issue regarding patients following through with MAT, particularly with naltrexone, where abstinence from opioids is required before initiation. However, the implementation of approaches, such as MAT, harm reduction, and education to healthcare providers, can enhance the psychiatric outcome and lessen the burden of OUD patients in engaging healthcare services.

Conclusion

Conclusively, the opioid epidemic is an acute psychiatric nursing problem that has significantly impacted psychiatric nursing in the form of increased patient admissions, nurse burnout, and resource scarcity. Most OUD patients present with other comorbid psychiatric disorders that should be considered and managed during therapy. Psychiatric nurses are practical in addressing withdrawal symptoms, MAT programs, and behavioral health approaches. To overcome this crisis, interventions such as the expansion of MAT, harm reduction approaches, and policy changes will enhance patient experiences and help healthcare professionals provide quality and compassionate care to their clients.

References

Dydyk, A. M., Jain, N. K., & Gupta, M. (2024). Opioid use disorder. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553166/

Goldfine, C., Chapman, B., Taylor, M., Bradley, E., Carreiro, S., Rosen, R., Babu, K., & Lai, J. (2023). Experiences with medications for addiction treatment among emergency department patients with opioid use disorder. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 24(2), 236–242. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2022.9.57821

Maglione, M. A., Raaen, L., Chen, C., Azhar, G. S., Shahidinia Nima, S., M., H., M., S., R. M., & Hempel, S. (2020). Effects of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder on functional outcomes: A systematic review. Rand Health Quarterly, 8(4), RR-2108-OSD. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7302321/

Spayde-Baker, A., & Patek, J. (2021). A comparison of medication-assisted treatment options for opioid addiction. Journal of Addictions Nursing, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/jan.0000000000000392

Volkow, N. D., & Blanco, C. (2020). The changing opioid crisis: Development, challenges, and opportunities. Molecular Psychiatry, 26(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0661-4

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Question

The paper you develop in Module 1 will be revisited and revised in Module 2. Review the Assignment instructions for Module 2 to prepare for your revised paper. Module 1 and 2 are two separate papers

Module 1 Assignment

The Quadruple Aim provides broad categories of goals to pursue to maintain and improve healthcare. Within each goal are many issues that, if addressed successfully, may have a positive impact on outcomes. For example, healthcare leaders are being tasked to shift from an emphasis on disease management often provided in an acute care setting to health promotion and disease prevention delivered in primary care settings. Efforts in this area can have significant positive impacts by reducing the need for primary healthcare and by reducing the stress on the healthcare system.

Changes in the industry only serve to stress what has always been true; namely, that the healthcare field has always faced significant challenges, and that goals to improve healthcare will always involve multiple stakeholders. This should not seem surprising given the circumstances. Indeed, when a growing population needs care, there are factors involved such as the demands of providing that care and the rising costs associated with healthcare. Generally, it is not surprising that the field of healthcare is an industry facing multifaceted issues that evolve over time.

In this module’s Discussion, you reviewed some healthcare issues/stressors and selected one for further review. For this Assignment, you will consider in more detail the healthcare issue/stressor you selected. You will also review research that addresses the issue/stressor and write a white paper to your organization’s leadership that addresses the issue/stressor you selected.

To Prepare:

  • Review the national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the Resources and reflect on the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected for study.
  • Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post for the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected.
  • Identify and review two additional scholarly resources (not included in the Resources for this module) that focus on change strategies implemented by healthcare organizations to address your selected national healthcare issue/stressor.

    Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue: The Opioid Crisis and Its Impact on Psychiatric Nursing

    Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue: The Opioid Crisis and Its Impact on Psychiatric Nursing

The Assignment (2-3 Pages):

Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

Develop a 2 to 3 page paper, written to your organization’s leadership team, addressing your selected national healthcare issue/stressor and how it is impacting your work setting. Be sure to address the following:

  • Describe the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected and its impact on your organization. Use organizational data to quantify the impact (if necessary, seek assistance from leadership or appropriate stakeholders in your organization).
  • Provide a brief summary of the two articles you reviewed from outside resources on the national healthcare issue/stressor. Explain how the healthcare issue/stressor is being addressed in other organizations.
  • Summarize the strategies used to address the organizational impact of national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the scholarly resources you selected. Explain how they may impact your organization both positively and negatively. Be specific and provide examples.

Required Readings

  • Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
    • Chapter 2, “Transformational Leadership: Complexity, Change, and Strategic Planning” (pp. 34–62)
    • Chapter 3, “Current Challenges in Complex Health Care Organizations and the Quadruple Aim” (pp. 66–97)

Read any TWO of the following (plus TWO additional readings on your selected issue):