Harm Reduction

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“Harm reduction is based on the premise that people are responsible for their behaviour, that they maker personal choices that affect their health and well-being, and that they can make safer and better decisions if given useful and honest information” (Mathre, 2002, p. 106). Harm reduction recognizes people’s unhealthy choices while also attempting to reduce the harmful effects that come from these unhealthy behaviours (Marlatt, 1998 as cited in Brown, Luna, Ramirez, Vail, and Williams, 2005). Using a harm reduction approach has a positive effect on drug users, as it helps to reduce the negative consequences that come from using drugs. Although harm reduction aims to reduce the harm from illegal drug using, it is viewed as “unethical and inconsistent with the ethical practices of health-care providers” (Lightfoot et al., 2009, p.17). In this paper, the strengths and limitations of using harm reduction as an approach to reduce the negative effects of (illegal) substance abuse and the implications this has on nursing will be discussed. Search Keywords and Databases The database that was used to collect the data in this paper was the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) database, and the key words that were used to help conduct this research were “strengths of harm reduction”, “limitations of harm reduction”, “harm reduction in nursing”, “using harm reduction as a nurse”, “implications of harm reduction”, and “harm reduction”. Strengths of Harm Reduction Harm reduction is a non-judgemental approach used to reduce the harm from illegal substance abuse, which notices the unhealthy behaviours of individuals but still views these individuals with respect and digni... ... middle of paper ... ... Although a harm reduction approach is usually considered beneficial to drug addicts, sometimes it may be difficult for nurses to promote harm reduction because they may “encounter ethical concerns associated with illegal drug use; they may find themselves caught between evidence and ethics on one hand and policy and law on the other” (Lightfoot et al., 2009, p. 20). Nurses may find it difficult to continue relationships and maintain care with the clients because of personal beliefs and values (Lightfoot et al., 2009). When reducing the harm that comes from unhealthy choices, such as using abusing illegal substances, nurses must refrain from being judgemental and negative because, although it has its strengths and limitations, “the goal of nursing care is to promote health and reduce the harm caused by injury, disease, or poor self-care” (Mathre, 2002, p. 106).

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