While you'll see a lot of different patients and diagnoses during your travel nursing career, one condition will come up pretty much anywhere you go: Alcohol abuse. This type of dependency can wreak havoc on a person's overall health, and that makes developing an effective treatment plan all the more challenging. Here is what you need to know about alcohol use in patients:
The current picture of alcohol abuse in America
Alcohol dependency is a fairly common problem in the U.S. According to 2014 data from the National Institutes of Health, 24.7 percent of adults age 18 and older have reported binge drinking in the last month. These respondents drank enough to raise their blood alcohol levels to 0.08 g/dL, which is equivalent to approximately four drinks for women and five for men. Meanwhile, 6.8 percent of adults have alcohol use disorder, and there are 88,000 alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. each year.
Financially, this rate of alcohol abuse has cost the U.S. $249 billion. However, the health toll is a whole other story.
Health complications related to alcohol abuse
According to the Mayo Clinic, alcohol abuse can lead to changes in both personal well-being and overall behavior. Excessive drinking can cause your patients to perform poorly in school or at work, engage in risky behaviors and make them more prone to injury. On the physical health side, alcohol dependency can cause liver disease, digestive issues, heart problems and even neurological complications.
As a travel nurse, it is important to help patients avoid these outcomes by identifying instances of abuse and offering guidance.
Spotting alcohol abuse
According to research published in the journal Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, providers must first determine how much alcohol the patient consumes. Then, the medical team should assess the consequences related to alcohol use (does the individual have alcohol-related health problems? Does he or she engage in risky behaviors?) to determine how severe the issue is. However, patients aren't always forthcoming about their alcohol use. In this instance, asking "How many drinks do you have each week?" may not be the best route. Rather, make general inquiries about their alcohol use, such as "Have you felt guilty about drinking?" or "Have you considered cutting down on alcohol consumption?"
Once the travel nurse has assessed whether the patient is dependent on alcohol, it's time to act. Medical teams must collaborate and follow medical facility policy to create an effective intervention plan.