Professional vs. Personal Factors Related to Physicians' Attitudes toward Drug Testing

Abstract

Questionnaires concerning attitudes toward alcohol and drug testing in the workplace, personal experiences with these substances, professional experiences in treating abuses, religious and political ideology and other personal and professional characteristics were completed by 303 internists, family physicians, gastroenterologists and psychiatrists. Drug testing was most favored by those who more strongly believed in the efficacy of treatment for abusers, the seriousness of the drug problem, the illegality of drug abuse and that marijuana use should not be permissible. Many other personal but almost no professional characteristics were correlated with attitudes toward drug testing. Physicians' opinions about drug testing strongly reflected personal ideologies rather than medical training or clinical experience.