BMJ 1994;309:557-558 (3 September)

Editorials

Sick doctors

What if a consultant pathologist, working largely single handedly and responsible for reading all the specialised histological slides in a large group of hospitals, had manic depression and was prone to periodic bouts of mania that made him skim through large numbers of slides with only cursory scrutiny of them? Who would recognise that there was a problem? What action would be taken? Where would he be treated? When would the decision be taken that it was safe to allow him to return to work? Should there be continuing supervision, and how should it be organised?

This hypothetical example shows only some of the complex questions posed when doctors become ill or are known to be at risk of illness. Many perspectives can be adopted when the phenomenon of the sick doctor is considered: the need to protect patients, the duty of other doctors to report problems, the responsibility of . . . [Full text of this article]


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