How Do I Recognize a Drug Impaired Co-Worker?

• Drug abusers often exhibit similar aberrant behavior. Certain signs and symptoms may indicate a drug addiction problem in a health care professional. Have you observed some of the following signs?
• Work absenteeism – absences without notification and an excessive number of sick days used;
• Frequent disappearances from the work site, having long unexplained absences, making improbable excuses and taking frequent or long trips to the bathroom or to the stockroom where drugs are kept;
• Excessive amounts of time spent near a drug supply. They volunteer for overtime and are at work when not scheduled to be there;
• Unreliability in keeping appointments and meeting deadlines;
• Work performance which alternates between periods of high and low productivity and may suffer from mistakes made due to inattention, poor judgment and bad decisions;
• Confusion, memory loss, and difficulty concentrating or recalling details and instructions. Ordinary tasks require greater effort and consume more time;
• Interpersonal relations with colleagues, staff and patients suffer. Rarely admits errors or accepts blame for errors or oversights;
• Heavy "wastage" of drugs;
• Sloppy recordkeeping, suspect ledger entries and drug shortages;
• Inappropriate prescriptions for large narcotic doses;
• Insistence on personal administration of injected narcotics to patients;
• Progressive deterioration in personal appearance and hygiene;
• Uncharacteristic deterioration of handwriting and charting;
• Wearing long sleeves when inappropriate;
• Personality change - mood swings, anxiety, depression, lack of impulse control, suicidal thoughts or gestures;
• Patient and staff complaints about health care provider’s changing attitude/behavior;
• Increasing personal and professional isolation.