A nurse notices that a colleague often leaves the unit for long periods and makes frequent medication errors. The nurse suspects a substance use disorder. What is the nurse legal and ethical responsibility?

1. 1Confront the colleague privately and wait for improvement
2. 2Cover the colleague tasks to prevent errors
3. 3Report the suspicion to the manager or supervisor
4. 4Keep the concern confidential to protect the colleague

Source: Nursing Health Promotion (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2025), Maladaptive Coping Behaviors: Substance Use Disorder in Nurses. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.