Adictions in Anestesiology

Abstract

The abuse of psychoactive substances, both legal and illegal, is considered to be a problem of public health worldwide. The consumption of drugs among the medical class, and specially among anesthetists, represents a great occupational problem, due to the fact that it includes drug addiction at work. These situations can lead to a progressive degradation of professional and personal life, as well as health. Diverse factors can interact, as the genetic predisposition, psychological, social, biological factors, family history of abuse, individual history of abuse, chronic job stress and availability of drugs in the work area.

Drug abuse can lead to personal, professional and family adverse consequences. Personal adverse consequences can be progressive deterioration of everyday life, of health, appearance of abstinence syndrome, distress disorders and depression that can result in death due to overdose or suicide. Family consequences are augmented rates of divorce and family dismemberment. Professional ones have to do with disability to perform habitual tasks, high probability of medical mistakes, bad medical practice and even the abandon of the speciality. Once there is the least suspicion of a case of drug abuse, it is necessary to go trough a process of identification and the corresponding intervention, help the physician and include him in specific treatment programs.

Faced this reality, we must assume the concept of responsibility shared from a triple perspective that involves the anesthetist, the scientific societies and the institutions involved in the hiring of medical staff in order to manage, diminish a end these risks.