Pubdate: Mon, 20 May 2013
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2013 McClatchy Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Andrea K. Walker, McClatchy Newspapers

SHOULD DOCTORS BE ROUTINELY DRUG-TESTED?

What if your doctor smoked marijuana and then performed surgery on you?

Not a comforting thought, but it could happen.

That is why two Johns Hopkins doctors and patient safety experts say 
hospitals should make alcohol and drug tests mandatory for physicians.

The doctors shared their views in a commentary published online April 
29 in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

They say doctors should also be tested if a patient dies suddenly or 
is unexpectedly injured during surgery.

"Patients might be better protected from preventable harm. Physicians 
and employers may experience reduced absenteeism, unintentional 
adverse events, injuries, and turnover, and early identification of a 
debilitating problem," wrote the authors of the study: Dr. Julius 
Cuong Pham, an emergency medicine physician at The Johns Hopkins 
Hospital, and Dr. Peter J. Pronovost, director of the Johns Hopkins 
Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. Dr. Gregory E. 
Skipper of the drug and alcohol treatment center Promises, in Santa 
Monica, Calif., also contributed.

If a doctor is found to be impaired, the hospital could suspend or 
revoke his or her medical license and report the incident to the 
state licensing board, the authors wrote. This would all help protect 
patients, the doctors said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom