OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate nurses' perceptions of caring for hospitalized h medical-surgical patients with comorbid conditions of g substance abuse/dependence BACKGROUND: Critical to this issue of quality pa- p tient care is the rising incidence of comorbid drug and alcohol abuse among hospitalized patients. Little re search exists on the perceptions of nurses providing care to substance abuse/dependent medical surgical p hospitalized patients. There exists the need to further il explore nurses' perceptions regarding caring for this challenging population METHODS: Using a qualitative inductive approach p a convenience sample of 24 nurses completed research p questions regarding their perceptions of caring for hos ti hospitalized patients with substance abuse dependence RESULTS: Data analysis revealed ethical duty to care negative perceptions toward patients with substance abuse/dependence, need for further education, sympa thy, and issues with pain management. Providing qual- T ity nursing care for the hospitalized medical surgical t atient with concomitant alcohol and/or drug depen- s dence is challenging tor nursing. Nurses need addi tional education and professional support in caring for these individuals Critical to this issue ot patient care quality and safety is the rising incidence ot comorbid drug and alcohol mong hospitalized patients, The World Health