Subj: UK: Alarm at doctor's drug use
Date: 4 Sep, 1998

ALARM AT DOCTOR'S DRUG USE

DRINK and drug abuse by young doctors could be putting patients' lives at
risk, a report has claimed.

Junior doctors are using drugs and alcohol more now than they did when they
were students - more than a third of male doctors questioned admitted using
cannabis.

The study found that most young doctors drink too much and many of them
take illegal drugs, including hallucinogens.

The report's revelations prompted Dr Farhad Kamali, one of the authors of
the report, to warn: "Clearly there is cause for concern. Drinking too much
and taking drugs can harm the doctor's health. There is concern over
patient care as well. We do not know how this behaviour affects how doctors
do their jobs."

A spokesman for the General Medical Council said: "This report is an
important and timely piece of work which recognises the serious risk that
the minority of doctors with these problems can pose to patients, if they
are not dealt with quickly and appropriately. It highlights the importance
of identifying doctors with problems before patients are put at risk."

Harry Shapiro of London's Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence said:
"People who regularly use depressant drugs such as alcohol and cannabis can
have slower reaction times. It depends on the individual.

"Doctors have access to very strong painkillers as well as illegal drugs.
It wouldn't surprise me if some junior doctors used strong drugs like
morphine.

"You don't want to be under the influence of any of these drugs if you need
to react well in an emergency situation. But the long hours work could
impair their performance as well."

The research, conducted at the Wolfson unit of clinical pharmacology at the
University of Newcastle, found most junior doctors drink excessive amounts
of alcohol.

The statistics are published in a research letter in this week's Lancet,
based on a study of the behaviour of 90 junior doctors last year. The
interviewees, who had all been questioned as medical students, were taking
more drugs and drinking more alcohol than when they had been students.

The study found that, of the 93 per cent of junior house residents who
drank, 60 per cent "exceeded safety limits".

Dr Kamali added: "Over 10 per cent of the individuals were drinking to a
hazardous level and nearly one third were binge drinking on days off."

More than one-third of male doctors in the study smoked cannabis. Nineteen
per cent of the women interviewed also admitted to smoking the drug.

About 13 per cent of men and 10 per cent of women in the survey admitted
current use of other, more dangerous and addictive drugs such as the
hallucinogenics LSD and magic mushrooms, cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines.

The Britsh Medical Association said: "The Lancet article's findings on
alcohol consumption are consistent with the BMAs own research on junior
doctors drinking above safe limits, often to combat stress.

"The information on recreational drug use is new to the BMA, but looks
consistent with patterns of recreational drug use by young people generally.

"We cannot tell how many of these young doctors may have an addicton
problem or might develop one, but we take the problem of drug and alcohol
misuse very seriously.

"All the evidence is that if you can intervene and offer support to a
doctor with problems early on, they have a good chance of recovery.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan