Essay part 1

Did you know that out of all physicians in treatment for drug abuse 25% are anesthesiologist. Drug abuse is a problem that isn’t talked about much publicly when it’s referring to our physicians. A lot of people would like to think that when you’re seeing a physician that they aren’t high on some pharmaceutical controlled substance. That’s not always the case; some drug abusing physicians will inject themselves 50 to 100 times a day! Which is most commonly propofol, when it is injected that many times a day. This drug is used to relax the muscles of the body for surgery. That number seems like a lot when you think compared to other street drugs whereas one injection can last 8 hours depending on the drug. Physicians have many options when it comes to abusing drugs because they basically have a whole pharmacy at their fingertips especially if they work at a hospital. They could be writing prescriptions for themselves for years before anybody finds out about what they are doing. You may think that they would keep better control over where medicine is used but basically the only way they get caught is by other employees will report them. This honor system obviously isn’t working very well and is why many people think that the medical board should interact more with its doctors. Some physicians can abuse drugs and still function almost completely normal, it will sometimes take years before they get caught. For example, one doctor would go through used needles to see if he could find any leftover drugs in them or another doctor who “fell asleep at his desk so often that his lolling forehead became a perpetual bruise (Marcus).” Some of the main signs of drug abuse in a physician could be weight loss, desire to work alone, and frequent bathroom breaks (Hines). The symptoms first usually show up at work then slowly start to immerge at home. When things start to affect how the physician functions things can go bad to worse very quick. For example, if a surgeons hands were shaking while operating him or her could damage arteries that are vital to organs. Also physicians who actively abuse are more likely to be sued for malpractice (Hines). Even sometimes medical boards will do nothing and let the physician to continue like everything was all normal. There’s one doctor who worked in Loudoun County Virginia that would deprive his colonoscopy patients of any medication (Thompson). What he or she would do is take the drugs and inject him or herself with them in between patients even though the patients would complain and say how it would hurt even though the doctor would do nothing for them, even nurses would report that they could here screaming. Even when the doctors do get reported the medical board can just drop the case. If they do take up a case the doctor usually only gets there license suspended temporarily even if they have been caught multiple times whether or not if it’s alcohol or substance abuse. For example, in Loudoun County out of 74 physicians that were reported 53% of them had been disciplined more than once (Thompson). It is very uncommon for a doctor to get his license taken away. That is because it wouldn’t make sense to rip someone of their license for one mistake that can be treated with rehab. I do to also think that it wouldn’t be far to a doctor say an anesthesiologist who has gone to school for 12 or more years to have their license removed because of one mistake. You live you learn in these types of situations. The only time I think that a physician should have his license taking away is because they have been caught three or more times by the medical board. When this occurs to me it seems like this doctor is being reckless with patient’s lives. That right there is violation of the Hippocratic Oath where it reads that they will do to the best of their ability and judgment for the people which you can’t possibly be doing if you are under the influence of drugs. They also swear to never refuse treatment for anyone in need which wasn’t the case with the colonoscopy cases. These so called doctors put shame to the word with what they are doing, doctors are supposed to be all for the people that is why most peopl become doctors is because they love helping people. The main drugs of abuse from a pharmacy are opioids i.e. oxycotin, perocet, vaciden, and morphine to name a few of the more common ones. What these drugs do is they high jack the reward center part of the brain. The human brain tell you that when the reward center is activated the brain tries to reinforce the act let you know that it is good. When in reality you are just getting more and more addicted. What eventually happens is the body will not be able to function unless it has the drug abuse flowing through them. Then this person can become a work hazard as seeing they will do most likely anything to get their hands on the drug. This is why when someone starts abusing it is very hard for them to stop on their own if near impossible.

Assignment 11 P 3

Marcus, Adam. "Propofol Abuse Growing Problem for Anesthesiologists." :: Anesthesiology News ::. May 2007. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.anesthesiologynews.com/index.asp?ses=o gst§ion_id=1&show=dept&article_id=7579>.

The author’s main points are why anesthesiologist are more likely to abuse. The other is why they choose propofol as their main choice of drug.

“Propofol abuse is indeed a potentially serious problem facing anesthesiology departments.”

“It’s somewhat dissociative, and can lead to an out-of-body sensation.”

I can see this source building on the types of drugs physicians’ abuse and why. I can also see how propofol affects the user when under its influence.

I plan on using this source to explain the effects of propofol and what is does to the user and why it is the drug of choice. I also plan on using it to connect past life experiences to drug abuse in the field.

I think this article is good for creditability but not the best. It is published in a journal called Anesthesiologist News and the article quotes an MD.

This source is similar to the things it writes about but it doesn’t go about how to prevent or the recovery process. It does also agree with what the others are writing about how they choose propofol compared to other drugs.

Assignment 11 P 2

Gastfriend, David R. "Physician Substance Abuse and Recovery: What Does It Mean for Physicians—and Everyone Else?." JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association 293.12 (2005): 1513-1515. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 1 Nov. 2010.

The author’s main point is the recovery process of the physician drug abuse. He explains how it is important to catch the symptoms early for the best results and to lessen the amount of damage caused or if any.

“Referral of an impaired physician is nonpunitive, imperative, and can be life-saving—for both patients and the impaired physician.”

“Physicians who have substance use disorders seem to do surprisingly well in recovery.”

This builds on what I’ve already read about recovery for physicians and shows how you another way intervene without going through trouble. It writes about a hotline that you can call where you can choose to be anonymous and receive tips on talking to a colleague or report a physician.

I plan on using this source to show another way a colleague can help without going all out on one of his peers. I can show another way to treat a physician that hasn’t yet been mentioned in my essay.

This source is creditable because it is a scholarly journal that cites 21 sources. It also is written by an MD.

I can see this connecting to my last source and it expands on ways for the colleague to interfere with simple tactics. Also some of the facts stated are the same as all the sources I’ve looked at.

Assignment 11 P 1

Twerski, Abraham J. "Treating Physician Substance Abuse." Interview by Christopher Guadagnino,. Physicians News. Mar. 1997. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.physiciansnews.com/spotlight/397wp.html>.

I think the writer’s main points are that his rehab center is great at preventing relapses in physician drug abusers. Another main point is how to detect if a physician is abusing.

“The recovery rate is extremely high.”

“Physicians who know that a colleague has an alcohol or drug problem should talk with the family of the physician.”

This expands on what needs to be done when a physician is abusing and the treatment that is done. It is actual information from a doctor that runs a rehab center which can show treatment can be done.

This information can be used to explain treatment for physicians and what is effective and what isn’t. It also shows how what you can do when you think a physician is abusing.

This source is very creditable because it is an interview done by someone how has there PhD. The interviewee is an MD and runs his own rehab center. Both are very creditable sources.

I see this connecting some parts of my other research with how it goes about some of its methods of rehab; I also see some that haven’t been mentioned. I can also see how some of its information is the same as the newspaper article.

Assignment 10 P 3

Thompson, Cheryl W. "Medical Boards Let Physicians Practice Despite Drug Abuse (washingtonpost.com)." Washington Post 10 Apr. 2005. Washington Post - Politics, National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39677-2005Apr9.html>.

I think the writer’s main points are that physicians are abusing drugs and medicine boards aren’t doing much to prevent it. I also think another point is that something needs to be changed because it isn’t working.

“Of the 74 physicians, 53 percent have been disciplined more than once for alcohol or drug use during their medical careers. Nine were sanctioned at least three times by the same board.”

“Medical boards should become more proactive in assessing doctors and patient safety instead of using the current system, which primarily reacts to complaints.”

This article shows how not much is being done which is something I haven’t researched about physician drug abuse. I can also see it really connecting it to the real world because it names specific cases including the doctor’s names.

I plan on using this source to connect my essay to the real world with actual cases. I also see it expanding on the whole view of physician drug abuse.

I would say that this source isn’t the best to credit because it is from a newspaper and not a scholarly journal. The article was also written five years ago but it does still relate to what is happening today.

I can see this connecting to my other articles because it is about physician drug abuse but it adds more depth because it uses actual doctors while the others write in a more general sense.

Assignment 10 P 2

Travis, John. "Anesthesia's Addiction Problem." Science 306.5699 (2004): 1126-1127. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

I think the writers main point is that among physician drug abusers anesthesiologist make up the most. He reason for saying this is because he thinks they are exposed to small traces through the air during surgery.

“Anesthesiologists represented less than 6% of all physicians in the state but made up almost 25% of the physicians monitored for substance-abuse disorders.”

“Physicians may become primed for drug abuse because they chronically inhale small amounts of anesthetics that sensitize the brain's reward pathways.”

This article builds on why physician and more specifically anesthesiologist are more likely to abuse. It provides supporting information and is the beginning of an experiment.

I plan on using this to source to explain why anesthesiologist and physicians are more likely to use drugs. I also plan on using it show that they are drug abusers in general more often than other physicians.

I think this source is creditable because it is scholarly and is written by John Travis. He is the news editor for a science magazine.

I see the source connecting because explains how physicians can become drug dependent. It also give facts to back this up, it expands on others ideas.

Assignment 10 p1

Halldorsson, Ari. "Prescribing of Controlled Substances for Non-Patients in the Educational Setting: Review of the Ethical, Legal, and Moral Dilemma for Residents." Medical Education Online 12.1 (2007): 1-6. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

The writer’s main points are medical worker substance abuse, laws for controlled substances, and teacher/learner relationship. Dr. Halldorsson uses these to explain different problems within the world of physician drug abuse.

“It is estimated that about 100 deaths among physicians are directly attributable to chemical dependency every year.(1)”

“Substance abuse in hospitals does not affect physicians alone and seems to be a growing problem.(2)”

I can see this article expanding on the laws behind controlled substances. I can also see how this paper will add to why physicians turn to drug abuse in the first place.

I plan on using this source to show why physicians can easily be drug dependent. I also plan on using it to show the relation between teacher and learner and how it affects becoming addicted.

I think this article is creditable because it is scholarly and is written by a doctor. This doctor works in the department of surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

I see this expanding on why physicians can become drug abusers so easily. It will also give a new aspect because it includes the relationship of teacher/learner with drug abuse in the medical field.