Substance Abuse Rates
Rates of substance abuse among different types of personnel within the health care industry are as follows:
| Position | Current Illicit Drug Use (%) |
Past Year Illicit Drug Use (%) |
Current Heavy Alcohol Use (%) |
| Physicians, Dentists, Optometrists | n/a | 19.8 | n/a |
| Nurses and Nursing Aides | 5.5 | 12.8 | 2.8 |
| Dental and Health Aides | 2.8 | 9.9 | 2.3 |
| Therapists | 4.0 | 7.2 | 3.5 |
| Clinical and Laboratory Technologists | 4.3 | 8.9 | 2.2 |
From: Baldisseri, MR. Impaired healthcare professional. Crit Care Med. 2007 Feb;35(2 Suppl):S106-16.
Physician Impairment by Substance Abuse: http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=cph&doc=1088