Drug addiction: the relationship between nursing interventions and sensitive outcomes. A systematic literature review

Background and Significance: The analysis of care contribution provided by different professionals and the results of their interventions is a recommendation that emerges from the practice stems, from costs concerns and to re-structure health services. The need to deepen the nursing contribution, to health outcomes achieved by people, is our challenge. We need to show further evidence that nursing sensitive health outcomes can contribute to health benefits of the people and pronounce today, the nursing role. This evidence may help to thinking about the practice, allowing that the new knowledge generated, contributes to its effectiveness. When we are dealing with a subjective and multidimensional state as drug addiction, with people in a methadone maintenance program, the health outcomes systematization is no easy task. Objectives/Aims: Identify nursing sensitive health outcomes with drug addicts and identify nursing interventions involved. Methods: We mobilize the guide lines of the Cochrane Center. We formulate the research question and determine the inclusion criteria by PI[C] OS method. We searched in B-on and Ebsco platforms and access to Scielo, Lilacs, Medicaribe databases. We search studies with samples above 18 years. Results: We selected 8 articles from a survey of 353 primary search. We found evidence of 17 nursing sensitive outcomes, which may be grouped into: clinical, functional status, health status knowledge, self care and nursing care satisfaction. These results were evaluated in different contexts of care practices. We found 12 nursing interventions responsible for those results. Four of the researches are randomized control trials. Conclusions/Implications: There is evidence that nursing care concern in its approach with the characteristic complexity of this chronic disease. Nurses contribute and influence health outcomes obtained by drugs addicts. Through the health promotion, drug administration, the therapeutic relationship and the counseling, among other interventions, nurses contribute mostly to the knowledge of the disease and treatments, help to reduce drug consumption, manage the withdrawal and the management of medication effects. This review indicates the need to probe the outcomes and the effectiveness of nursing intervention. There is no evidence of this type of research in Portugal.