Study: 15% of surgeons report alcohol use disorder

Nurse.com News Monday February 20, 2012

A relatively small proportion of surgeons who responded to an anonymous survey self-reported alcohol use disorders that are consistent with alcohol abuse or dependence, according to a report.

Because alcohol abuse disorders can cause clinically significant impairment and distress in other aspects of life, researchers evaluated the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in surgeons and explored the relationship of these disorders to personal and professional characteristics, surgeon distress and self-reported events, such as malpractice lawsuits and medical errors.

Michael R. Oreskovich, MD, of the American College of Surgeons in Chicago and the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues collected 7,197 (28.7%) completed surveys from 25,073 members of the College for whom they had correct email addresses.

Study: 15% of surgeons report alcohol use disorder