– I completely lost myself. I felt that I had no value anymore, says Eirik Nordmo. The former GP in Glomfjord tells of one of the many times he considered taking his own life. For almost 20 years he was outwardly a skilled doctor, well liked by his patients. At one point, he was one of the ten GPs in Norway with the longest waiting list. At the same time, he struggled with gambling and drug addiction. On Tuesday, he came forward with his story. One of the reasons he didn’t seek help before things got too far was the fear of losing his medical license. And Eirik Nordmo is not alone in that. Is seen as a weakness Danish research shows that doctors have a greater risk of abusing prescription drugs than the rest of the population. Among other things, because they have the opportunity to write prescriptions and they have access to the drugs via work. The research also shows that doctors largely wait to seek help until the problems have perhaps gotten out of control. According to psychiatrist Shahram Shaygani, there are several reasons why doctors hesitate to ask for help. – Firstly, struggling with drug addiction is very stigmatizing for a doctor. After all, it is a profession that should not show weakness. In addition, they are trained to solve problems themselves, says Shaygani. – But many doctors are also terrified of coming under the Norwegian Health Authority’s spotlight, for fear of losing their authorisation. For the past three years, Shaygani has been involved in a project where they give doctors with substance abuse problems the opportunity to talk, without further notice, together with Anders Gaasland. The project is a collaboration with the Medical Association, and has produced good results. – It is important to emphasize that this is not a treatment offer, but a colleague to colleague conversation. We have had close to 50 colleagues inside. We managed to get the vast majority of them out of the problematic relationship they had with drugs, says Shaygani. Many of those who sought help also did so before the challenges had gone too far. Shaygani believes that this is partly due to the fact that they did not risk consequences by reporting. Several people say the same thing During his treatment, Eirik Nordmo has met several doctors who say exactly the same thing. – They didn’t dare seek help until it had gone too far. If they hadn’t risked losing their licence, I think many of them would have given up earlier, he says. IMPORTANT: Eirik Nordmo emphasizes that it was important for him to have clear consequences for his addiction, so that he was forced to take action. At the same time, he believes that it should be considered to make it easier to ask for help. Photo: Dina Danielsen / news The National Health Service writes in an e-mail to news that consideration of patient safety weighs most heavily in such cases. At the same time, they emphasize that the reactions they implement should not be unnecessarily severe. – For healthcare personnel who have challenges with substance abuse, this will mean that they must receive treatment and document drug-freeness for a period before they can return to the profession, writes department director Anne Myhr. Photo: press photo Looking to Denmark Both Eirik Nordmo and Shahram Shaygani are looking to Denmark, where the license is one of the last things to be taken from doctors. Instead, they can continue to practice, as long as they go for check-ups and treatment. – I believe it is right that a doctor who has a harmful use of drugs should not have contact with patients or carry out critical work. At the same time, I think we should rethink rehabilitation. Perhaps they should be given an opportunity to be on sick leave and start treatment as a first response, suggests Shaygani. – In addition, it could be desirable to have clinics that could offer doctors who have lost their authorization due to the harmful use of drugs a new opportunity, for example an internship with guidance, he says. The project for Shahram Shaygani and Gaasland is now being continued for another three years. – In such drug treatment, one of the most important things is to be able to establish a safe relationship, so that people can open up and reflect on their own actions, thoughts and feelings, says Shaygani. – When you work with people with substance abuse problems, you end up in a bit of a bind. You must establish a secure relationship, but at the same time the person making contact fears that the challenges will be reported. Then the relationship can quickly become strained. He also believes that we must become better at treating drug addiction as a disease. The brain changes – When talking about reaction, one should discuss how it should be. Such a reaction must be characterized by a goal of rehabilitation, says Shaygani. – The research shows that the areas of the brain that control our choices change when you develop a drug addiction, so a person with a drug addiction prioritizes different choices than people who are not addicted. The more punishment you give without rehabilitation, the greater the risk of worsening the course. The Norwegian Health Authority does not wish to comment on the Danish model or Shaygani’s proposal. See the full response from the Norwegian Health Authority here. This is the answer from Department Director Anne Myhr in the Norwegian Health Authority to a question from news: Why is it the case today that healthcare personnel will be stripped of their authorization when drug problems are detected? – The purpose of the Health Personnel Act is to contribute to safety for patients and quality in the health and care service, and trust in health personnel and the health and care service. A healthcare professional who is intoxicated at work could be a danger to patient safety. Furthermore, it follows from Section 57 of the Health Personnel Act that the National Health Inspectorate can revoke the authorization of a health personnel if the health personnel is unfit to exercise their profession responsibly due to the use of alcohol, drugs or substances with a similar effect. This means that the National Health Inspectorate makes specific assessments in each individual case as to whether an authorization should be revoked. As a guarantee of legal certainty, the health personnel can appeal our decision to the Norwegian Board of Health Personnel. As the report on Eirik Nordmo shows, people who have challenges with substance abuse will need treatment. For some, it takes some time for them to understand it. The inspectorate’s means of safeguarding patient safety shall not be more intrusive towards healthcare personnel than necessary. For healthcare personnel who have challenges with drug abuse, this will mean that they must receive treatment and document drug-freeness for a period before they can return to the profession, initially with restrictions on the authorization which involves alcohol testing and close follow-up by the employer. What do you think of the Danish model? – In connection with the preparation and development of the regulations, the conditions in countries with which it is natural to compare ourselves are assessed. Responsibility for this work has been assigned to the Ministry of Health and Care. We therefore recommend that you direct an inquiry there. – How does the Norwegian Health Authority stand on the proposal from Shaygani? – Based on the current regulations, we must assess whether the health personnel are “unfit to perform their profession properly”, that is to say that we both have the opportunity to and must take a position on this concretely. We recommend that the question of whether the regulations should be changed be addressed to the Ministry of Health and Care.
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Eirik Nordmo and Shahram Shaygani believe doctors should not lose their license for drug problems – news Nordland
