The Case of the Nurse Addict

Judy Boise and Claire Temple have been colleagues for a long time—they have worked together at the same hospital for 6 years. Since obtaining a divorce, however, Ms. Temple’s personality has changed. She often makes silly comments or giggles at inappropriate times. At other times, Ms. Temple is very irritable and resorts to taking medication for her “nerves.” Ms. Boise suspects that her friend is developing a drug dependency. Her suspicion is confirmed one day when Ms. Temple asks Ms. Boise to work for her while she sleeps off the effects of some medication. Ms. Boise confronts her friend with her suspicions. Ms. Temple acknowledges that she has been taking cocaine but asks Ms. Boise not to tell other nurses about the nature of her problem. Ms. Boise promises not to tell. The next day, however, Ms. Boise finds Ms. Temple asleep in a chair in an empty room when she should be taking care of a patient. Does Ms. Boise have an obligation to break the promise she made to Ms. Temple in order to protect their patients from unsatisfactory levels of nursing care? How much respect for confidentiality can one expect from a fellow nurse?