Topics of addiction in Turkish nursing programs: A summary

Abstract

Addiction is a serious health issue. The measured rates of substance abuse in Turkey are lower than those in Western countries; however, recent studies show a significant increase in the prevalence of substance abuse and that the age of onset of substance abuse has decreased. There is a lack of literature about the topic of addiction in the undergraduate nursing programs in Turkey. Therefore, the aim of this current study was to examine the presence of addiction content in nursing education in Turkey among state and foundation universities. A descriptive, survey research design was used in this study. One hundred twelve state universities and 64 foundation universities that provide undergraduate education in Turkey were screened using the database of the Council of Higher Education. Researchers found that 89.09% of the state universities and all the foundation universities included the topic of addiction and/or substance addiction somewhere in their undergraduate nursing programs. The courses were primarily elective courses, and availability of the coursework varied. Given the impact of substance and process addictions, the authors conclude with a recommendation that the topic of addiction be offered as a discrete, mandatory course in the undergraduate nursing curricula of all universities offering nursing programs.