Objective: To describe the characteristics at enrollment and outcomes of doctors in a substance dependence monitoring programme in Canada.
Design: Prospective descriptive study.
Setting: Provincial physician health programme, Canada.
Participants: All 100 doctors consecutively admitted to a substance dependence monitoring programme and followed until completion of monitoring or on leaving the programme.
Main outcome measure: Relapse during long term monitoring for five years.
Results: Ninety per cent of the doctors enrolled on the programme were men, 66% were married or living with a partner, 44% had had previous treatment for substance dependence, and 36% had had previous psychiatric treatment. Smokers were over-represented compared with the general population of US doctors (38% v 5%). During the monitoring period 71% of participants had no known relapse. An additional 14% went on to complete the programme, after some form of relapse. In total, 85% of the doctors successfully completed the programme.
Conclusion: In this cohort of doctors enrolled on the Ontario Physician Health Program for substance dependence, most were men who were dependent on alcohol or opioids. Smokers were over-represented compared with the general population of US doctors. Eighty five per cent successfully completed the programme.