Should You Report a Substance-Abusing Colleague to the State Licensing Board?

Yet when it is a colleague, we are often in denial about their substance abuse. Certainly, simple seasonal allergies and allergy medications can cause a number of the above symptoms. We also are aware of and fear the potential impact of licensing board notification on a physician’s career. In fact, in a national survey of physicians, 45% of respondents who had encountered impaired or incompetent physicians had not reported them, even though 96% of those surveyed agreed that physicians should report impaired or incompetent colleagues.⁷

Similar to reporting child or elder abuse, you don’t want to be wrong.

At the same time, impaired physicians are disruptive. They negatively impact the lives of their patients, colleagues, and hospital staff.

It is possible to do both the responsible thing and not go directly to the licensing board. You are not responsible for diagnosing your colleagues, but rather recognizing possible impairment.

Check out the Federation of State Physician Health Programs’ website (www.fsphp.org) to identify a local physician health program. Call them and place a report of concern identifying your impaired colleague. While it’s possibly new to you, they have years of experience working with this situation. Trust these organizations, many of which are independent from licensing, to intervene responsibly and confidentially. They can evaluate your colleague and provide a treatment plan and monitoring, as needed. Their approach is rehabilitative rather than punitive, and they resist reporting to the medical board unless the physician-patient is noncompliant.

Physicians have better outcomes than the general population, with reported abstinence rates of 70% to 90% for those who complete treatment.^8,9 Between 75% and 85% of physicians who complete rehabilitation and comply with close monitoring and follow-up care are able to return to work.^9,10

There is hope for your impaired colleague. Contact your local physician health program.

Dr. Guerrasio is a hospitalist and director of resident and medical student remediation at the University of Colorado Denver.

References

1. Hughes PH, Brandenburg N, Baldwin DC Jr., et al. Prevalence of substance use among US physicians. JAMA. 1992;267:2333-2339.
2. Gold KB, Teitelbaum SA. Physicians impaired by substance abuse disorders. The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice website. Available at: http://www.globaldrugpolicy.org/2/2/3.php. Accessed June 27, 2011.
3. Wolfgang AP. Substance abuse potential and job stress: a study of pharmacists, physicians, and nurses. J Pharm Mark Manage. 1989;3(4):97-110.
4. Cicala RS. Substance abuse among physicians: What you need to know. Hosp Phys. 2003:39-46.
5. Berge KH, Seppala MD, Schipper AM. Chemical dependency and the physician. Mayo Clin Proc. 2009;84(7):625-631.
6. Bright RP, Krahn L. Impaired physicians: How to recognize, when to report, and where to refer. Curr Psy. 2010;9(6):11-20.
7. Campbell EG, Regan S, Gruen RL, et al. Professionalism in medicine: results of a national survey of physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:795-802.
8. Femino J, Nirenberg TD. Treatment outcome studies on physician impairment: a review of the literature. R I Med. 1994;77:345-350.
9. Alpern F, Correnti CE, Dolan TE, Llufrio MC, Sill A. A survey of recovering Maryland physicians. Md Med J. 1992;41:301-303.
10. Gallegos KV, Lubin BH, Bowers C, Blevins JW, Talbott GD, Wilson PO. Relapse and recovery: five to ten year follow-up study of chemically dependent physicians—the Georgia experience. Md Med J. 1992;41:315-319.