Towards the end of his internship, he shared his drug history with his program director, who suggested he attend a recovery meeting. While it may seem unthinkable that a resident with such a serious drug problem would be able to continue caring for patients, experts say that patient care is usually the last area to be impacted by a dysfunctional physician. The result is that the substance abuse continues, sometimes to the point where the resident is visibly impaired. In the most extreme cases, he said, the resident may die of an overdose. Getting involved Untreated, substance abuse quickly turns into a downward spiral.
Marriages break up.
Hospital support staff and nursing staff are antagonized. And finally, patient care is affected. Because the stakes are so high, it's crucial not to waste time worrying about destroying a colleague's career by reporting drug problems. The same with addiction. It's absolutely not acceptable to let your colleagues with drug problems slide.