Corrie Massey
SAFETY
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O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A R C H 2 0 1 4
5 Tips for Treating Addicted Patients
A dignified way to treat their addiction and their surgical recovery.
I
t is the shorthand that makes us shiver: ETOH. IVDA. Seeing
these acronyms in a patient's chart — ETOH, short for ethanol
,
indicates chronic alcoholism; IVDA stands for intravenous drug
abuse — gives us pause. Patients with a history of addiction have
special requirements for surgical care. We must consider their
current physical health, medication reactions, recovery room
behavior and social issues. Several of our surgeons are affiliated
with rehabilitation facilities and specialists here in the Los
Angeles area, so our surgery center sees many addicted patients.
Here are some practical tips for working with these patients and
your physicians to achieve optimal surgical outcomes and a posi-
tive patient experience.
"Patients are worried about
reigniting their addiction process
and adequate pain control due to
previous drug use. They deserve
adequate pain control and reassurance
that opiates are okay after surgery."
Create a compassionate culture
Our clinical staff includes several members who have per-
sonal experience with addiction within their families. Through
our personal and professional histories, we've seen mistreatment
of these fragile patients by hospital staff in the form of withhold-
ing of pain medications, neglect and verbal abuse. Rather than
casting judgment and letting personal feelings affect our patient
care like so many of our peers had done in the past, we decided
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