Medical Students’ Attitudes toward Substance Abuse

Abstract

We surveyed 297 medical students regarding their attitudes about the use of substances which act on the central nervous system, particularly when these substances are used by professional colleagues. The preferred methods for dealing with a colleague impaired by alcohol or drug use were, in order of preference, talking directly to the affected colleague and informing the colleague's supervisor. We found no significant difference in responses across year groups, across sexes, and comparing impairment by alcohol versus other drug abuse. Twenty percent thought it was acceptable to have an alcoholic beverage before seeing a patient; 80% felt any use of illicit drugs, even while not on duty, was inappropriate. We discuss possible implications for medical student education.