by Physicians Weekly | Aug 25, 2014
Physicians, like many adults in the general public, enjoy drinking an alcoholic beverage in a socially-appropriate context when they are not taking call. But what happens when casual drinking becomes a problem? Nine out of 10 doctors recognize when they’ve reached their alcohol limit and stop drinking. However, an estimated 10% of doctors allow alcohol to adversely affect their overall well-being, health, and medical practices (1). The National Institute of Health (NIH) suggests a man—younger than 65 years of age—not have more than 14 drinks a week, and a woman—who is not pregnant or attempting to become pregnant—not exceed more than seven drinks per week (2). If you or a colleague drink more than that, an unhealthy drinking habit may be emerging. Rigorously honest self-evaluation or peer-reporting is the next necessary step to avoid developing more serious issues of alcoholism. Reporting Harmful Behaviors Benefits the Medical Community The American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Ethics, considered the most widely accepted ethics guide for physicians, requires all doctors to promote personal health and wellness and to promptly inform relevant authorities of an impaired or incompetent colleague (3). Yet, one in three (36%) physicians surveyed in a recent national poll said they’ve had firsthand knowledge of a physician struggling with drug and/or alcohol misuse and yet did nothing. Some of the reasons these surveyed doctors gave for ignoring harmful behaviors included: “someone else would take care of the problem,” “nothing would happen as a result of the report,” “fear of retribution,” and feelings of being ill-prepared to deal with an unstable colleague (4). If we are to continue safeguarding patients’ care...
