POM - Impaired Physician

The American College of Physicians (ACP), the AMA, and most other professional medical societies and organizations have published guidelines or position papers on “the impaired physician”. Impairment interferes with the ability of a physician to carry out patient care responsibilities safely and effectively. It can have many causes, including substance use disorders, mental illness, profound fatigue, or a decline in cognitive or motor skills due to age or disease. As an important note: the presence or treatment of a disorder does not necessarily imply that the physician is impaired.