The negative attitudes of some general nurses towards drug misusers

Abstract

This article presents some findings from an interview study which examined the attitudes of 82 healthcare professionals towards drug misuse and drug misusers. They represented a sub-sample of a larger study of 248 professionals working with intravenous drug misusers in west Scotland. It was thought that nurses' attitudes could affect their emotional responses and the subsequent care they gave to patients. The results suggested that staff have judgmental and punitive attitudes to drug misusers. Most respondents felt that drugs corrupt the young and that drug misusers should only be cared for in specialised units. Nearly half of all respondents regarded drug misusers as a threat to society due to HIV/AIDS and agreed that drug misusers should be compulsorily tested for HIV infection.

General practitioners’ management of psychostimulant drug misuse: Implications for education and training

“…Unwillingness to treat PSDMs expressed by just over half the respondents is not surprising and in line with previous research about health-professionals' attitudes (Carroll, 1995;Deehan, Taylor, & Strang, 1997;Hindler et al, 1996). However, when GPs were asked if they thought that GPs should be involved in managing patients with PSDM the majority were in favour.…”

Swiss Psychiatrists Beliefs and Attitudes about Cannabis Risks in Psychiatric Patients: Ideologically Determined or Evidence-based?

“…Providers' attitudes regarding substance use and users may be not only evidence based, but also influenced by their clinical grade (Carroll 1996), their own consumption habits (Linn et al 1989) or by personal ideological and political viewpoints. Attitudes and perceptions of service delivery highly influence quality of screening and care delivery (Carroll 1995(Carroll , 1996. Until now, only one previous study has investigated physicians' attitude regarding cannabis policies.…”

Negative attitudes towards clients with drug and alcohol related problems: Finding the elusive solution

“…A review of the literature provides clear evidence that nurses employed within general health care settings consider caring for clients with drug and alcohol related problems to be a difficult and unpleasant experience (Bartek, Newton & Hawks, 1986; Carroll, 1995a, 1996; Corse, McHugh & Gordon, 1995; Moodley‐Kunnie, 1988; Murphy, 1989; Rassool, 1993; Riley, 1996; Satterthwaite, 1990). The primary source of frustration for nurses arises from the fact that despite consistent acknowledgement of the problems experienced in the general health‐care environment, the more recent research findings are essentially the same as those derived from studies completed decades ago (Hagemaster, Handley, Plumlee, Sullivan & Stanley, 1993).…”