Introduction: The use of psychoactive substances is a major problem among healthcare workers. Most commonly, the use of psychoactive substances is influenced by tension and stress in the workplace and is used as a defensive or protective strategy to help nurses cope with the daily pressures of the workplace. Purpose: The purpose of this literature review is to explore measures in work organisations that can prevent and reduce psychoactive substance misuse by nurses. Methods. The literature was searched in the bibliographic databases PubMed and CINAHL Ultimate and also in Google Scholar. Eleven articles published between 2013 and 2023 were included in the analysis. Results: Interventions that are key to prevent and reduce dependence on psychoactive substances are education, monitoring and recognition of signs of psychoactive substance abuse, psychological support and counselling, supportive work environment, communication and development of guidelines and policies. Discussion and Conclusion: Effective organisational measures are key to preventing psychoactive substance misuse in the workplace by nurses. These measures include the provision of psychological first aid and long-term support to healthcare staff. It is particularly important during periods of increased stress to introduce short-term psychological intervention programmes for stress management, which has contributed to a reduction in psychoactive substance misuse among healthcare workers. These programmes contribute to reducing stress and, consequently, to reducing the risk of substance abuse among nurses. In order to attract participation in the prevention of psychoactive substance use among nurses, working conditions should be changed and regular and adequate remuneration should be ensured.
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