Poster Presentation: Substance Misuse and Drug Diversion Among Anesthesiology Professionals: Implementation of an Educational Intervention for SRNAs and Their Support Systems-Substance Misuse and Drug Diversion Among Anesthesiology Professionals: Implementation of an Educational Intervention for SRNAs and Their Support Systems

Substance Misuse and Drug Diversion Among Anesthesiology Professionals: Implementation of an Educational Intervention for SRNAs and Their Support Systems

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Pdf Summary

This summary details a study on addressing substance misuse and drug diversion among anesthesiology professionals through an educational intervention targeting Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) and their support systems at Northeastern University. The significant points of the study include:<br /><br />**Background and Purpose:**<br />- Anesthesiology professionals are at higher risk for substance misuse due to stress, access to addictive medications, and environmental factors.<br />- Lack of education on substance misuse exacerbates the issue, affecting both individual professionals and their ability to assist peers.<br />- The Council on Accreditation requires that anesthesia students understand substance use disorders.<br /><br />**Study Overview:**<br />- The intervention aimed to improve SRNAs' and their support systems' knowledge, perception, and reporting of substance misuse and drug diversion.<br />- The study employed pre- and post-intervention surveys administered electronically to measure changes.<br /><br />**Sample Demographics:**<br />- 67 participants: predominantly under 30 years old (54%) and female (69%).<br />- A majority were actively enrolled in the program (78%).<br /><br />**Intervention:**<br />- Featured a lecture titled “Catch Me if You Can: The Impaired Provider” by Rodrigo and Claudia Garcia.<br />- Participants could attend in person or virtually.<br /><br />**Findings:**<br />- After the intervention, understanding of steps to improve impaired professionals’ safety rose dramatically from 21% to 95%.<br />- Knowledge of why anesthesiology professionals are high-risk increased from 69% to 100%.<br />- Confidence in identifying signs of substance misuse and likelihood of reporting suspected cases also saw significant improvements.<br />- The perception of addiction shifted, with more participants recognizing it both as a choice and a disease.<br />- Participants appreciated the lecture's delivery by individuals with personal and professional experience in the topic.<br />- The inclusion of a support system was deemed valuable by 82.7% of SRNAs.<br /><br />**Conclusion:**<br />- The CRNA-led educational intervention effectively enhanced knowledge, perception, and reporting inclination among SRNAs and their support systems.<br />- The study suggests benefits in instituting such educational models across nurse anesthesia programs to ensure wide-reaching impact and safety enhancements.

Keywords

substance misuse

drug diversion

anesthesiology

SRNAs

educational intervention

Northeastern University

pre- and post-intervention surveys

impaired professionals

addiction perception

support systems