UNCC300 Justice And Change In A Global World Essay

Common Good

Graham (2006) defined common good as the sum of social conditions which are desired by people, either as an individuals or a group, for achieving more in an easy manner. In the case of the nursing profession, nurses have to look at striking a balance between respecting the integrity of society and upholding their personal dignity. The above-discussed balance becomes crucial in nursing as nurses need to uphold standards of their profession, ethics, whilst also ensuring that the patients are treated well (Graham, 2006). However, there are a number of challenges, they face to ensure the common good. One such challenge is the impact of the drug usage on nursing’s common good, which is analysed below. 

Challenges

Nurses are through professionals, and in the hospital settings, they appear calm and courteous. Nursing is a challenging profession and like the rest of society, these workers, also face challenges that are personal which may result in them turning to alcohol or drugs. The substance use impairs the judgment of the nurses which results in slower reaction and disorder, which affects their performance at work, and they may harm the patients or themselves. Under the influence, their thinking process may be altered and many at times despite being in the medical profession they may not accept that they are suffering from a problem. The reason they do not admit is that they fear career repercussion. The problem is not confined to altered thinking as it may lead to depression, PTSD, and sometimes end up being fatal due to the overdose (Haber et al., 2009).

The above problems compound considering the fact that nurses have easy access to medical drugs. However, in a study by World Health Organization, it was found that only 7% of the drugs used by the nurses are prescription drugs, and rest are non-medical drugs which include alcohol, cocaine, Marijuana, Heroin, Sedatives, Inhalants, Tranquilizers, and Amphetamines (WHO, 2014).

Despite, the nurses being surrounded by other medical professionals, it becomes difficult for others to identify substance abuse by a colleague. Addiction effects are shown only by some nurses as they usually appear in good spirits and remain professional and calm. The addiction can be only identified when physical signs including tremors, fatigue, excessive use of mouthwash or breath mints, runny nose, dilated pupils, untidy appearance, frequent bathroom trips, and rapid weight gain or loss are visible. The behavioral signs of addictions include frequent anger, hyperactivity, lack of concentration, inappropriate laughter, and frequent lying (Ford, 2011).

It is also a possibility that the colleagues identify the addiction, however, they ignore it due to strong friendship and loyalty towards each other.  Connor (2016) also argued that many hospital administrators try to undermine the issue as it causes negative publicity for the hospital. These colleagues and administrators need to realize that nurses with substance use can be a burden on the organization- These nurses may require more health benefits, they may fail to show up at work, or perform poorly at work. They are also liable for making errors related to the treatment of a patient (Connor, 2016).

Local and Global Impact

In the Australian context, there is a lack of proper data on drug usage by the nursing community, however, AHPRA (2018) found that 12.6% of nursing professionals who had a complaint against them, were on medication. To reduce the impact of substance use on the nursing community, APHRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) has made it mandatory for all medical professionals to undergo routine hair testing to check for substance use. There is a lack of data in the global context as well, however, nurses suffering from substance abuse is similar across countries- Whilst it was 12.6% in Australia (AHPRA, 2018), it is 10% in the US (Cidambi, 2018). 

Conclusion

Substance abuse is a problem which can impact not only the personal life of the user but also his professional life. This impact increases when the person suffering is a nurse as a nurse is not only responsible for own health, but also the health of patients and of the reputation of the health facility. This compromises the common good of the nursing community. The problem with system abuse by nurses is that it is difficult to identify and even if it is identified, others (colleagues and administrators) tend to ignore it when actually they need to report it and help the nurse to get over the substance abuse.