Harm Reduction Discussion
Corporate / scarcity ideologies align with a harm reduction philosophy and policy since the former can affect the latter. These ideologies imply the creation and maintenance of specific ideas, vision, mission, and goals that are to be achieved in medical institutions, especially those paying precise attention to substance abuse prevention and decreasing the treatment with a biomedical model. Móró and Rácz (2013) assume that the mentioned ideologies may be utilized to create an appropriate treatment environment promoted through vision and corporate objectives. Such an approach is likely to assist nurses in understanding what exactly is required to ensure the most effective patient care associated with harm reduction.
Addressing social determinants of health may be regarded as harm reduction since this initiative also focuses on the context of drug use. Pauly, Reist, Belle-Isle, and Schactman (2013) emphasize that poverty, homelessness, and other social determinants that impact a person’s decision to use substances are targeted by health care as an attempt to eliminate them in terms of social justice. The promotion of equality in health care services expressed in inequality-responsive care is one of the methods of combating substance abuse.
In my practice, I encountered such ethical tension as distrust of patients to harm reduction model that was associated with stigma. Specifically, young adult patients revealed a mismatch between their expectations, needs, and the very logic of the “fixing” method (Lago, Peter, & Bógus, 2017). Therefore, if I were a policymaker, I would propose the creation of specific regulations declaring the necessity of increasing awareness among young people, nurse practitioners, and society as a whole. This initiative would decrease mistrust in people and lead to more effective harm reduction.
Burnout Types
Of three burnout types such as emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization, I experience emotional exhaustion. Leiter and Laschinger (2006) argue that emotional exhaustion occurs when there is a lack of nurse support, cooperation in an organization, or insufficient responsiveness from management. As a Registered Nurse working in acute care settings, I have to encounter patients in various severe conditions, the treatment of which requires many mental and physical efforts that are the key causes of my emotional exhaustion. In my point of view, my busy schedule does not satisfy my workplace expectations and cause stress and negative emotions that gradually accumulate and lead to emotional burnout. In other words, such a condition may be considered a type of psychological defense mechanism for tension.
To increasing the value of nursing work, nurses may report their burnout cases to leaders and managers, so that they may advocate for adjusted regulations and new initiatives aimed at preventing and eliminating burnout. More to the point, they can discuss their problems collectively during meetings and training sessions to resolve the issue in collaboration with each other. The interaction with policymakers and representatives of both local and national organizations is another way to improve the current situation. Specifically to my workplace, I assume that the creation of a welcoming working environment may be proposed. Consistent with Van Bogaert, Kowalski, Weeks, and Clarke (2013), I suggest that the involvement in the decision-making process along with daily tracking of work outcomes may be applied as a means of designing a trusting atmosphere among nurses. Besides, interdisciplinary teamwork initiatives may be applied towards various specialists, thus providing the opportunity to treat patients consistently and avoid misunderstanding between them.
References
Lago, R. R., Peter, E., & Bógus, C. M. (2017). Harm reduction and tensions in trust and distrust in a mental health service: A qualitative approach. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 12(1), 12-21.
Leiter, M. P., & Laschinger, H. K. S. (2006). Relationships of work and practice environment to professional burnout: Testing a causal model. Nursing Research, 55(2), 137-146.
Móró, L., & Rácz, J. (2013). Online drug user-led harm reduction in Hungary: A review of “Daath”. Harm Reduction Journal, 10(1), 18-27.
Pauly, B. B., Reist, D., Belle-Isle, L., & Schactman, C. (2013). Housing and harm reduction: What is the role of harm reduction in addressing homelessness? International Journal of Drug Policy, 24(4), 284-290.
Van Bogaert, P., Kowalski, C., Weeks, S. M., & Clarke, S. P. (2013). The relationship between nurse practice environment, nurse work characteristics, burnout and job outcome and quality of nursing care: A cross-sectional survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 50(12), 1667-1677.