DENVER -- Studies have found nurses and other medical professionals pop prescription pills at a higher rate. They also have easier access to them than the rest of us.

National Nurses Association spokeswoman Mary McNamara said the percentage of nurses with substance abuse issues is less than that of the general working populace in the United States.

However, McNamara said nurses are more likely to abuse prescription-type medications at a higher rate than the general public.

McNamara said it is suspected 10 percent of nurses suffer from alcohol or drug abuse. A study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found to 13 percent of the working population has the same problem.

Susan Miller, Director of Health Care at Department of Regulatory Agencies, said of all of the complaint calls the Colorado Nursing Board received, 20 percent of those dealt with drug abuse problems.

Miller said the latest annual tally, which concluded on June 30, showed the state nursing board fielded 584 complaints. Of those, more than 100 dealt with substance abuse issues that impaired or caused concern with a nurse’s ability at their job.

McNamara said the American Nurses Association estimates between 6 to 8 percent of nurses use either alcohol or drugs to such an extent to impair their professional judgment.

“Drug issues are not the sole purvey of nurses,” Miller said “We have issues about drug abuse in other health care professions.”

There are no set parameters on if a case is or needs to be reported to the regulatory board. Miller said the agency is at the mercy of receiving that information from hospitals and law enforcement agencies.

“We are not all-knowing and all-seeing,” Miller said. “There are gray areas on what must be reported.”

The risk of drug abuse in medical professionals could be mitigated by instituting random drug testing, said hospital security expert Phil Nielsen. Nielsen is vice president of HSS -- a security company that provides services for almost every medical center and hospital in Colorado.

"Drug tests are a great way to prevent theft," Nielsen said. "It would be a great service to the community. Most of the thefts are like shoplifting in a grocery store."

Miller said the state board of nursing has no authority to require or enforce drug testing. McNamara said there has been legal precedence in upholding the right for agencies or states to enforce drug testing for certain sensitive medical professions. So why isn't it done?

Nielsen said hospitals do a good job in thwarting in-house theft with technological improvements. The days of open drug cabinets are over and replaced with computer terminals recording who is requesting what drug, how much, when it was taken and when it was administered to the patient.

However there is a chance for abuse and a way to circumvent the safety measures put in place, Nielsen said. Instituting random drug tests could weed out possible abusers.

"Most often the risk is low and the consequences limited," Nielsen said. "But in a few, the risks were tremendous and the costs are huge."

Erika Matich, spokeswoman for University of Colorado Hospital, said the hospital currently only administers drug tests for probable cause. But the hospital is looking for ways to begin random drug testing.

"We are looking at how we can make that work," Matich said. "There is no time table at implementing that yet."

The cases Nielsen refers to are those of Kristen Parker and Mary Madill. The pair became public focal points in July after two cases of rampant theft of the painkiller Fentanyl in two area hospitals.

Parker, a scrub technician, is accused of possibly infecting 19 people with hepatitis C after injecting herself with the drug from syringes intended for patients and then refilling the needles with saline solution during her work history at Rose Medical Center and Audubon Surgery Center in Colorado Springs.

Parker’s case has resulted in the state health department in testing thousands of former surgery patients for infection of hepatitis C.

Rose Medical Center administered an employment drug test to Parker when she was hired and then a second one when there was suspicion of drug diversion going on.

Madill, a registered nurse, is accused of stealing painkilling drugs while working as a nurse at St. Anthony Central Hospital. According to Madill’s arrest affidavit, the long-time nurse was suspected of falsifying reports to account for drugs dispensed during ambulance trips.

Madill was confronted about the discrepancies and admitted to taking the drug for a long time according to the affidavit. Madill will appear in court next on Aug. 20 for a second advisement in her criminal case.

According to DORA’s records, there are 67,119 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who are registered in Colorado.