Cases of Malpractice Involving Alcohol?

Question by Charles Wallace: Cases of malpractice involving alcohol?
Hi everyone. I am writing an issue paper for college that talks about the consequences of drugs and alcohol in the workplace. Can anyone think of any cases where drugs or alcohol was used in the medical field and consequences arose from it?
Also, can you think of any instances where drugs or alcohol has been given to students by teachers?
I can think of a few, but I would like to use more. Perhaps you know of times where this has occured in your communities.

Any input is appreciated.

Best answer:

Answer by Robert O
Alcohol and drug abuse are common problems for physicians, just as they are for other professions.
The National Practitioner Data Bank’s Public Use File is a source of information on licensure actions taken against physicians. From September 30, 1990 through June 30, 2012, the data shows the following reasons for licensure actions by State licensing boards
3,138 actions for “alcohol and other substance abuse”
1,291 actions for “narcotics violation”
1,867 actions for “unable to practice safely: alcohol or other substance abuse”
646 actions for “narcotics violation or other violation of drug statutes”
140 actions for “diversion of controlled substances”

The Data Bank’s reporting codes have been changed over the years, which explains the overlap of some of the categories above. In addition, some reports of licensure actions involving alcohol or drug use could have been coded in more general categories, the the above counts are somewhat low in comparison to the actual number of actions taken for alcohol or drug abuse.

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