12% of Health Care workers on Drugs

[Alastair]

I was reading an article in MacLean's Magazine today in which they were saying that 12 - 15% of Health care workers are on drugs. That's a very high percentage but my own Doctor was on drugs and has now been struck off the local lists. She was offered assistance but apparently couldn't kick the habit and so she's now no longer in practice.

They were also commenting that when going for an operation you are given an injection for pain but it can happen that it's the person giving you the injection that's taking the pain medicine and instead injecting you with saline solution.

I can understand this happening but had no idea this could impact 12-15% of all health care workers.

Alastair

[Glesgalass]

Health care workers where? I can't imagine the figure is that high in Australia.

Elda

[Alastair]

The report was from Canada.

Alastair

[FriedaKateM]

Hey...guys..As a retired nurse, who worked in varied settings, such as a state hospital, & also a drug/alcohol detox/rehab unit, I can speak about the subject fairly well. At the state hospital, we did have an alcohol/drug unit, & I remember one RN, who was addicted, & coming off whatever drug he was on. He said, in regard to giving drugs in surgeries, he'd take a bit of the dose himself, & then top it with N.S. (normal saline). That's the only one I met there, and I was charge nurse over that unit & another one, a lot of times the whole half of the hosp.

Then, in working at the 2nd mentioned health facility, I also met only one man who was an RN, but he did have a tremendous problem with alcohol. So, he was an alcoholic. Those are the only ones I knew in about 24 years, plus/minus a bit. I have met over the years a lot of alcoholics &/or drug addicts, but most weren't health workers. A good many were railroaders!!! Kinda shocking, that!!! Joan