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High risk of relapse in physician opioid users

Medical Staff Leader Connection, March 23, 2005

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The risk of substance abuse relapse is increased in healthcare professionals who have used a major opioid, had a coexisting psychiatric illness, or who have a family history of substance abuse, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The risk of relapse is further increased, according to the study, if the physician had a previous relapse.

The study focused on testing whether chemically dependent healthcare professionals using a major opioid such as fentanyl, sufentanil, morphine, or meperidine, are at a higher risk of relapse. The test group consisted of 292 healthcare professionals who were enrolled in the Washington Physicians Health Program-an independent post-treatment monitoring program-between January 1, 1991, and December 31, 2001.

Twenty-five percent of the study participants had at least one relapse. According to the article, chemical dependency (excluding nicotine) among physicians is estimated to be 10% to 15%, which is similar to that in the general population.

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