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Survey suggests binge drinking affects one in five nurses
Risky behaviors such as binge drinking and using food to cope with stress are common among America's nurses, suggests a study published online in Nursing Research and Practice.
The study from Ball State University and other institutions found that among 120 nurses working in the Midwest, 22% were classified as binge drinkers. Also, 63% said they used food as a coping mechanism. A total of 92% of the study population experienced moderate to high stress levels.
“Management has a big role to play in providing health promotion services and employee assistance programs to help deal with stress-related poor health behaviors, such as addiction,” said Jagdish Khubchandani, a Ball State health science professor. “What I find severely lacking is the understanding of burnout in nurses, its prevalence and its long-term impact on the nursing workforce of any facility.”
