title: The impaired radiologist.
abstract: Radiologists are faced with ever-increasing challenges in the needs of the practice, in both private and academic settings. Targeted information about protecting and maintaining the physical, mental, and emotional health of the radiologist is highly limited. Impairment is a functional classification that implies that the individual affected by a disease is unable to perform specific activities. Radiologists can suffer from the same illnesses as any human being, which include substance abuse and addiction, as well as chronic infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis. This article is intended to educate radiologists and leaders about various forms of physician impairment. It provides discussion of the challenges related to such impairment and provides tools and resources to address the impaired radiologist.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Electronic address: cbender@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Claire E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bender
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
authors.forename: Marta E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Heilbrun
authors.affiliation: ACR, Reston, Virginia.
authors.forename: Hang B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Truong
authors.affiliation: Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Edward I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Bluth
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D030881:Disclosure / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D010820:Physicians / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology*; D028743:Professional Misconduct / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology*; D011871:Radiology / Q000941:ethics; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Radiologist; chronic infection; impaired; substance abuse