Experiences of Nurses Caring for Substance Using Patients: A Literature Review

Abstract

Substance using patients are a stigmatised patient group, whose negative behaviours can affect the attitudes of nurses and the care that they give. Lack of education on the care of substance users has contributed to the negative perceptions of these patients. The use of illicit substances has increased over the past decades, thus increasing the likelihood of encountering substance users in different health care settings.

The purpose of the literature review was to examine the experiences that nurses have of caring for substance using patients to provide knowledge that can be used to improve the care of this patient population. A review of literature was conducted. The literature review aimed to answer the research question: what are the experiences of nurses caring for a substance using patient?

A literature search was conducted in electronical databases using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Six research articles that answered the research question were analysed by utilising content analysis and two themes were identified from them: challenges experienced in patient care, and strategies and needs for improvement.

Substance using patients were described as a demanding patient population that caused concerns for safety. Treating the pain of these patients was challenging and created feelings of frustration in nurses. Patients were considered manipulative, which contributed to stigma towards them. Nurses had developed strategies to be used in the care of these patients, which were considered helpful. Finally, nurses shed light to the need for education and protocols to be implemented.

Further research is recommended on the experiences of nurses working with substance users, namely in clinical settings. Additionally, research situated in the Finnish health care setting is recommended.