title: Management of impaired physicians in Europe.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A significant percentage of physicians may be impaired at some point in their career by substance dependence, psychiatric and neurological disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While the United States and a few other countries have addressed the problem since the 70's, most European countries still have no national or hospital policy to deal with impaired physicians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to European directives on workers' health and safety, the occupational health physician entrusted with medical surveillance of hospital workers is often mandated to manage impaired professionals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strategies for early identification, treatment and rehabilitation of impaired physicians are reviewed and suggestions for preventive action in European countries are given.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine, Catholic University School of Medicine, Largo Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. nmagnavita@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Magnavita
mesh_terms: D000574:American Medical Association; D003219:Confidentiality; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010815:Physician Impairment / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States