| Intervention According to Bernadette T. Higgins Roche, the hallmark of chemical dependence is Denial! Individuals with chemical dependence rarely seek treatment voluntarily partly due to the procrastination, manipulation and denial that goes along with chemical dependence. Health care providers appear to have stronger denial than the general population which can prevent them from seeing their symptoms and recognizing their illness. Even when health care providers do admit that they have a substance abuse problem, they often believe that they can treat it themselves. Anesthesia providers are no exception. Not only do we have extensive pharmacology knowledge, we also have easy access to controlled substances. Some precipitating factor or terminating event usually forces an impaired professional to enter treatment. Job performance is the last aspect of the individual's life to deteriorate. Their ability to continue fulfilling their professional responsibilities supports the denial. The workplace may be the ideal place to reach people in need of treatment! Furthermore, colleagues and supervisors have an ethical, and in some states, a mandatory obligation to intervene with an individual who is impaired. Intervention and treatment can save lives! Intervention should never be done with only one person and the impaired person. Intervention should be a planned, structured event. The goal is to get the individual to agree to an assessment and to enter treatment. Intervention should be performed as soon as there is sufficient evidence of probable chemical impairment. For more information on Intervention go to www.aana.com peer assistance. |
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