Medical professionals, particularly nurses, are significantly more likely than the general population to struggle with addiction. However, few of these individuals seek substance abuse help because they are concerned about what admitting to an addiction would mean to their careers.

Experts say that providing drug rehab treatment and emotional support to nursing staff who struggle with addiction could result in better patient safety and help a greater number of individuals beat their chemical dependency.

A team of faculty from the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing recently wrote in the Journal of Clinical Nursing that medical facilities should consider what they call alternative to dismissal strategies for dealing with employee addiction.

They said that providing substance abuse help to nurses who have developed addiction benefits all involved. It may be a quicker process to get a worker into a drug rehab program than to go through the proper channels of firing them, which limits their contact with patients. Additionally, the nurses benefit because they are given a chance to recover from addiction and keep their careers intact.

Given the fact that between 15 and 20 percent of nurses struggle with addiction, the suggestion could affect a large group of people.