Substance Abuse Occurs in Every Profession, Including Among Doctors, Nurses, and Others who work in the Medical Field, Often Leading to Severe Harm for Patients
Across all professions, about 10% of full-time workers have a substance addiction, whether they abuse alcohol or drugs. However, the top three professions with the highest rates of addiction problems are food service workers, attorneys, and healthcare workers. In fact, doctors are more likely to abuse prescription drugs than patients. Not only doctors, but nurses and other healthcare workers frequently abuse drugs and alcohol, with the potential to cause severe injuries and even death to those in their care.
Exploring the Connection Between Medical Errors and Substance Abuse by Healthcare Professionals
Like anyone who drives or works while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, healthcare providers who do their jobs while drunk or drugged may harm those they encounter in their work, and thus, endanger patients. Medical professionals with substance abuse addictions can make life-threatening mistakes, which may occur in a myriad of different ways. Substances that affect the brain can cause doctors to write the wrong prescription, confusing the names of drugs or prescribing the wrong dosage. They may improperly write or communicate orders to those on the medical team, neglect to check on lab results or improperly interpret the findings, or even make dangerous mistakes during surgery. An anesthesiologist may lose focus and forget to monitor the patient, or a nurse may neglect to check on a patient in critical condition.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse by those in the Medical Field: A Comparison to the General Population
No doubt, healthcare professionals have stressful jobs with long, variable shifts throughout the night and day. As such, they are 10 to 15% more likely to develop drug or alcohol addiction than other Americans. Specifically, dentists are 12 to 19% more likely to develop substance abuse problems than the general population, and anesthesiologists are 11 to 15% more likely to have substance addictions. Nurses are 10% likelier to have addictions.
Different Types of Healthcare Workers who may Have Addictions
While doctors and nurses largely make up the addiction statistics of about 100,000 medical providers annually who abuse drugs or alcohol, high-risk specialties with higher rates of substance abuse include emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, and anesthesiology. These professionals’ vulnerability to substance abuse may be due to easy access to opiates and sedatives and certain aspects of their personalities.
Common Motivations for Medical Providers Using and Abusing Substances
Why do healthcare providers abuse substances you might wonder? The reasons are not much different from others outside of the medical profession. Medical students may use drugs and alcohol recreationally to deal with stress and sleep deprivation, while interns, residents, and attending physicians may use drugs to keep awake and alert on the job or to self-medicate for chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. Coping with stress, depression, trauma, burnout, and anxiety are among the primary reasons. Easing the symptoms of these conditions by numbing the effects with alcohol or drugs is a leading cause of addiction among those in the medical field.
However, the difference between doctors or nurses and other substance abusers is the free access to pharmaceuticals. Doctors can obtain strong narcotics like phenobarbital or a steady supply of Xanax without difficulty. Thus, healthcare workers are more likely to be hooked on powerful drugs to ease the effects of high-stress work.
The more intense the work, the more likely a healthcare professional is to abuse drugs. Emergency room medical workers, especially those who experience life-and-death cases throughout their shifts, are susceptible to addiction. Their nervous systems are on high alert for hours, facing intense life-and-death decisions. Unfortunately, these professionals require clear minds and quick reflexes the most. But even less frantic medical fields experience the typical burdens of being overworked, sleep-deprived, short-staffed, and unsupported at work. Personal issues may drive the need to anesthetize, too, like health challenges, relationship problems, and genetic predispositions to addiction.
Finally, knowing the effects of the various pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs may also motivate healthcare workers to try to enhance their job performance or deal with the challenges they face daily, including trauma from encountering so many devastating accidents or illnesses.
How Healthcare Professionals Obtain Substances Inside and Outside the Scope of Employment
Since healthcare professionals can lose their licenses for substance abuse, those with drug or alcohol problems often secretly access drugs by drug diversion. For example, a nurse may take drugs intended for a patient, indicating on record that the patient received their medication. And doctors can write prescriptions for themselves when they need painkillers for a health problem or for feeding an addiction. Some healthcare workers may not want to risk getting caught on the job, so that they may access illicit drugs on the streets. Some medical professionals obtain marijuana and alcohol legally at dispensaries and ordinary stores.
Potential Errors and Injuries to Patients when Medical Professionals Work Under the Influence
As a patient entrusting their life to a medical care provider, you want to know that your healthcare team is alert and clear-minded. Providers who abuse substances may be more prone to making mistakes. Their poor reflexes, motor skills, and brain fog may result in serious harm. They may worsen a patient’s condition or lose precious time to save a life with delayed critical decisions.
Imagine a surgeon with shaky hands performing delicate heart surgery or other surgery in tight places vulnerable to collateral nicks to nearby nerves or organs. A surgeon addicted to drugs or alcohol may lack the coordination to execute procedures that take dexterity and keen fine motor skills while on drugs or suffering from the effects of a hangover.
Moreover, fogginess from alcohol or drugs can impair a doctor’s decision-making ability. So, when quick decisions in emergency situations are necessary, an unclear mind may hesitate or take longer to decide the right course of action, say, in performing an emergency cesarean birth or allowing labor to continue. The life-and-death decisions of an impaired doctor could end badly for the patient.
Injured by a Healthcare Professional who You Suspect was Under the Influence? Know Your Rights and Legal Options in New Jersey
Understandably, the grueling working conditions and lack of psychological, administrative, and other support add to the pressures of an already stressful job for the average medical worker. However, understanding the causes of addiction does not excuse the extraordinary harm to patients and their families. Medical professionals owe a duty of reasonable care to practice medicine responsibly within the standards prescribed by governing medical boards and the law. When they cause harm to patients through inexcusable mistakes, they may be held liable for damages resulting from their negligence.
A medical malpractice claim seeks redress for a patient’s injuries or wrongful death. Patients and their families have legal rights to just compensation for their losses, including financial, physical, and emotional. Damages may be recovered for medical malpractice through a negotiated settlement or a jury award after a trial.
Speak with a New Jersey Medical Malpractice Attorney at Fronzuto Law Group for the Legal Guidance You Need Now
If you suspect that a doctor, nurse, or another medical provider caused unnecessary harm to you or someone you love due to their drug or alcohol impairment, seeking legal counsel and determining if you may have grounds for a lawsuit is highly advisable. With decades of experience concentrating our practice on medical malpractice law, Fronzuto Law Group is a tested, trusted New Jersey legal team with the knowledge, resources, and skill to assist you during this challenging time.
Aside from advising you about the validity of your case, our attorneys can help prepare your claim and handle every aspect of the legal process to ensure that you receive just compensation for all of your damages, such as medical expenses, earnings losses, and pain and suffering. Seek assistance from a medical malpractice attorney at our firm today by contacting us at 973-435-4551 for a free consultation.
