Physicians' willingness to report impaired colleagues |
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Authors: | Farber Neil J Gilibert Stephanie G Aboff Brian M Collier Virginia U Weiner Joan Boyer E Gil |
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Institution: | Department of Medicine, Christiana Care Health System, 501 West 14th Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19899, USA. nfarber@christianacare.org |
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Abstract: | We surveyed physicians to determine what factors were associated with their reporting of impaired colleagues to Physician Health Programs (PHPs). We conducted a cross-sectional mail survey of 1000 randomly selected practicing physicians in the United States. A survey instrument asked the physicians whether they would report 10 hypothetical impaired colleagues to a PHP. The results show that a majority of the physicians would report physicians to PHPs, but were more likely to report hypothetical physicians involved in substance abuse than those who were emotionally or cognitively impaired (p<0.001). Respondents who felt they had a societal obligation as opposed to an obligation to protect the rights of the individual (p=0.006) were more likely to report hypothetical physicians. Those respondents who stated they knew of guidelines on reporting impaired physicians had more frequently reported impaired colleagues (p<0.001). We conclude that physicians should be educated on the availability and functioning of PHPs and the ethical and legal obligations of assisting impaired colleagues. |
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