Nurses’ Experiences Caring for Hospitalized Patients With Opioid Use Disorders

The purpose of this study was to examine nurses’ experience of care for hospitalized patients with a history of opioid use disorder (OUD). A national sample of 179 nurses completed an online survey regarding their experiences on caring for patients with OUD. Most participants were staff nurses who worked in emergency departments, critical care units, or perinatal units. Only 41.9% of the participants received education regarding OUD from their employers, and even fewer nurses had participated in harm reduction education. Less than half (45.0%) of the nurses had knowledge regarding harm reduction strategies. Most participants experienced a low number of restrictive safety measures designed to protect patients, adverse events associated with care of their patients with OUD, and effective care interventions when caring for patients with OUD. Almost all the nurses (97.5%) experienced a patient with an OUD leave the hospital against hospital advice (or direct their own discharge). Most nurses rated quality care and their own satisfaction when caring for patients with an OUD as average. Content analysis of open-ended questions regarding equity and patient-centeredness of care supported quantitative findings. The study findings contribute to current evidence regarding the need for standardized hospital policies aimed at improving quality care, and hospitals should incorporate harm reduction strategies in training and practices that are patient-centered and evidence-based.