Exploring the Prevalence, Causes, and Impacts of Pethidine Addiction Among Nurses, Midwives, and Doctors in Ghanaian Health Facilities

Objectives: In Ghana, Pethidine addiction poses a notable problem for the healthcare cadre, including nurses, midwives, and doctors. The controlled nature of this substance, together with its ease of access within the confines of the healthcare system, occupational stress, and lack of adequate regulatory controls has led to Pethidine abuse. This study seeks to assess the extent Pethidine addiction among health workers in Ghanaian healthcare facilities, the reasons behind it, and its impacts. Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken in five major hospitals across Ghana from January to June 2024. Structured questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from 300 healthcare workers (120 nurses, 100 midwives, and 80 doctors). In addition, some hospital records were analyzed to evaluate the Pethidine procurement and usage pattern in the institution. Using SPSS software, data was analyzed to determine the prevalence of addiction, its causes, and the impacts on professional performance. Results: It was found that 28% of respondents misused Pethidine at some point in their nursing, midwifery, or medical career. Nurses had the highest prevalence with 35% while midwives and doctors had 25% and 18% respectively. Other contributing factors consisted of high occupational stress (70%), unawareness towards the risks of addiction (55%), and lack of monitoring over controlled drugs (40%). The repercussions of addiction were seen in a worker’s productive output (45%), absences (30%), and makeshift tending to patients (25%). Alongside this, participants expressed a lack of access to rehabilitation services or support programs within their workplaces. Conclusion: Pethidine addiction amongst health workers in Ghana is a critical concern that fundamentally undermines the integrity of healthcare and patient safety. This problem can be solved by enforcing strict drug control policies, tailored educational interventions around addiction, and readily available rehabilitation programs for these patients. Concerted action from the healthcare institutions and the regulatory bodies is needed to curb this emerging threat.