Professional Impairment: A History and One State's Response

ABSTRACT

Professionals who provide care to clients may have an impaired practice because of alcohol or drug abuse problems. Health care professionals can harm clients when their practice is impaired. Evidence suggests that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, and social workers are vulnerable to substance misuse. A professional with an impaired practice can recover with help. This article reviews the literature on impaired practice of health professionals and highlights prevalence rates of drug and alcohol problems. South Carolina's recovering professional program is one response that protects the public and helps the professional get better.

KEYWORDS:

• Recovery
• alcohol and drug abuse
• licensing boards
• professional impairment
• recovering professional program

Notes

a. The CAGE questionnaire consists of four questions: (1) “Have you ever felt you should Cut down on drinking?” (2)“Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?” (3) “Have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking?” (4) “Have you ever taken a drink in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?” Two or more positive answers are correlated with alcohol dependence in 90% of cases.