title: Buprenorphine maintenance therapy in opioid-addicted health care professionals returning to clinical practice: a hidden controversy.
abstract: It remains controversial whether it is safe for recovering health care professionals to return to clinical practice after treatment for drug addiction. One specific component of reentry that remains particularly contentious is the use of pharmacotherapeutics, specifically buprenorphine, as opioid substitution therapy for health care professionals who wish to return to clinical work. Because health care professionals are typically engaged in safety-sensitive work with considerable consequences when errors occur, abstinence-based recovery should be recommended until studies demonstrate that it is safe to allow this population to practice while undergoing opioid substitution therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Los Angeles County Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamza
authors.forename: Ethan O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Bryson
mesh_terms: D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010815:Physician Impairment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011363:Professional Impairment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D002047:Buprenorphine