Physician Impairment

Physician Impairment occurring in the healthcare system is a very serious issue that has been taking place for a while. Estimates suggest that approximately 15% of physicians will be impaired at some point in their careers, and the two ethical issues that take place are the physicians involved as well as the coworkers who need to report those physicians. Just like the University Hospital Level 1 Trauma Center case in the reading, we see an example where the Jan Adams, the shift supervisor, and Dr. Truman, the resident, were worried about causing, Trauma Surgeon, Dr. Spalding any problems for not reporting to the hospital in a reasonable time. Jan refused her option to call in the second on call surgeon and decided not to in order to keep Dr. Spalding’s from receiving any kind of punishment. The let her relationship with him cloud her judgment and could have negatively affected Jan, Dr. Spalding, Dr. Truman, University Hospital, and most important, the patient. If anything at all happened to the patient everyone involved with the incident would be held responsible. Jan was risking all of their jobs, the hospital’s credibility and reputation, and the patient’s livelihood.
In this incident, Jan should have immediately called the second on call surgeon when Dr. Spalding had not arrived in a timely manner. Upon his arrival, and when she noticed Spalding’s impairment, Jan, being the shift supervisor should have reported the incident immediately. No one should put that much on the line just to keep a coworker or friend from being punished.  In a study of 100 alcoholic U.S. doctors followed for 21 years, 73% had recovered. This study and others show a strong relationship between recovery and attending meetings of self-help groups. It appears from his history Dr. Spalding needs help in the matter and should be provided by from the hospital.