The participating physicians spoke to various situations involving drugs, alcohol and illnesses.
Here are five survey takeaways:
1. In 2016, 78 percent of physicians reported they would notify superiors about a colleague who “occasionally seemed impaired by drugs, alcohol or illness.” This percentage is in line with 77 percent of physicians in 2014 and 79 percent of physicians in 2012 who would do the same.
2. When asked if physicians should be subjected to random drug and alcohol abuse testing, 42 percent of physicians said “no,” 41 percent of physicians said “yes” and 18 percent said “it depends.”
3. Forty-three percent of primary care physicians said they support random drug and alcohol testing, compared to 40 percent of specialists.
4. While nephrologists topped the chart with 50 percent in support of random drug and alcohol testing, urologists offered the least support, with only 26 percent backing the testing.
5. Sixty-seven percent of respondents are in support of requiring physicians to receive annual flu shots, while 25 percent are not.
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