Differences between Licensed Healthcare Professionals with Substance Use-Related Licensure Discipline

Abstract

Background

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a significant public health concern in the United States and healthcare providers are not immune to this disease. The potential for patient harm presented by an impaired provider is the reason SUD in licensed healthcare professionals is a regulatory issue. Aim: This research study seeks to identify the differences in the disciplinary action taken among pharmacists, physicians, and nurses (LPN & RN) in 24 states. Methods: A retrospective secondary data analysis was performed using the public use data file of the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). Inclusion data were grouped and recoded to analyze using Chi-square to compare differences between groups. Results: Nurses are revoked and fined at much higher rates than medicine. Nurses and pharmacists are placed on probation at higher rates than medicine, and medicine was censured more than their nursing and pharmacy colleagues. Conclusions: Licensed healthcare professionals are punished differently for similar SUD-related offenses. Further research should explore these differences to identify evidenced based ways to protect the public while assisting this special at-risk population to recover from SUD.

Keywords:

• Licensure discipline
• substance use disorder
• healthcare professionals
• nursing regulation
• sanctions

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge Theresa Roddy, MSN, RN who contributed knowledge and professional support in the research process and data collection in this study. I would also like to acknowledge An Lin Cheng, PhD, for her guidance in a preliminary phase of the study regarding statistical methods. Patricia Kelly, PhD, RN also contributed to the development of the preliminary study leading to this data analysis. 

I would also like to acknowledge Jonas Philanthropies for their support as a Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar (2016-2018).

Declaration of interest

The author of this study reports no conflict of interest.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, NE, upon reasonable request. The National Practitioner Data Bank Public Use Data File used to conduct the data analysis can be accessed at: https://www.npdb.hrsa.gov/resources/publicData.jsp