Physician Impairment: Is Recovery Feasible?

Background: Physician impairment is a serious public health issue affecting not onlyphysicians, but also their families, colleagues, and patients. Physician impairment isused most often to refer to substance use disorders, which involve both substanceabuse and substance dependence and/or addiction.Objective: This article aims to describe the problem of physician impairment withinthe context of substance use disorders. The concept of recovery and several strategiesfor effective recovery are explored.Discussion: Experts now define impairment as an enduring condition that if left untreated is not amenable to remission and cure. In terms of functional capacity, impairment renders the physician unable to provide competent medical services, with seriousflaws in professional judgment. Herein, we define the scope of the problem, considerseveral theories to explain the reason physicians may be prone to develop substanceuse disorders, discuss diagnosis and reporting, as well as treatment and prognosis, andidentify several relapse prevention strategies.Conclusion: Physician impairment is a real and significant public health concern;however, recovery is feasible and the data support favorable odds of recovery and a return to clinical practice among those seeking appropriate treatment, counseling, andrelapse prevention strategies.Key words: Physician impairment, substance use disorder, prevention, relapse, recovery, dependence, substance abuse, Physician Health Programs (PHPs).