An epidemiological study of alcohol and drug use among disciplined and non-disciplined nurses in Missouri

The purpose of this descriptive epidemiological study was to examine any similarities or differences which existed between R.N.s and L.P.N.s credentialed to practice nursing in the state of Missouri with respect to specific person, place, and time factors. Person characteristics included education, occupational/work experience, alcohol consumption and other drug use, and health/family history. Place factors included place of residence, place of employment, and specialty area. Time factors included shift most often worked and time of shift most often worked.; Data were collected through an 80 item mail questionnaire and were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and Chi Square.; Subjects included all R.N.s and L.P.N.s disciplined for chemical dependency by the Missouri State Board of Nursing between the years of 1984 and 1988. A group of non-disciplined nurses was randomly selected from a list of all nurses credentialed to practice nursing in Missouri.; A comparison of differences between disciplined R.N.s and disciplined L.P.N.s revealed that, for some factors, such as age at which drugs were used initially and overall employment in a hospital setting, the two groups were similar. Differences were noted in the variety of drugs used and the number of years drugs were used.; Some similarities were noted between disciplined R.N.s and non-disciplined R.N.s such as religion and previous use of alcohol. Differences between the two groups related to excessive use of drugs and also to such factors as gender and use of medications for emotional problems and chronic pain.; Differences found between disciplined and non-disciplined L.P.N.s included population of place of residence and current employment in nursing. Several similarities were found between disciplined and non-disciplined L.P.N.s such as income and racial/ethnic background.