Alarm as more medics seek solace in alcohol

Some medics are turning to drugs and alcohol abuse to ‘manage’ stress, a convention on the well-being of healthcare providers heard yesterday.

Lukoye Atwoli, an associate professor of psychiatry at Moi University, said the prevalence of substance abuse among medics is higher than in the general public.

For example, the prevalence of alcohol use among medics stands at 19.6 per cent, while among the general population aged 15 to 65, it is 12.2 per cent, according to the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada).

For tobacco, the prevalence among medics is 13.2 per cent, while for cocaine stands at 5.4 per cent, marijuana at 4.9 per cent, hallucinogens 2.6 per cent, and opioids 3.9 per cent, as detailed in a 2016 study.

The reported lifetime use of alcohol among Kenyan healthcare workers stood at 35.8 per cent.

Medical errors

Prof Atwoli said though there has been no subsequent study to determine if there has been any change, the prevalence among medical professionals is still higher than the public’s.

However, he insisted that abuse of substances is not necessarily linked to medical errors.

“Like making a medic work for 72 straight hours, of course errors are likely to occur in the last two hours. Or making a good surgeon work until they turn 95. In such cases, medical errors are inevitable whether you are using substances of not,” said Atwoli.

A harsh working environment was mentioned as a major reason for medics drowning themselves in substance abuse as a result of depression.

Their stress levels are so high that some doctors do not know when they are exhibiting symptoms of depression, revealed Nairobi Hospital Cicely McDowell College of Nursing Principal Margaret Sirima. As a result, 37 per cent to 45 per cent of medics are unable to recognise depression in the patients they treat.

Critical care specialists and health workers working in psychiatry departments are some of the medics highly susceptible to depression. Plastic surgeons and public health specialists are the least affected by depression-related symptoms.

The Kenya Medical Association President Jaqueline Kitulu said it is important for medics, despite the demanding nature of their jobs and their selflessness, to put their well-being first.

It is for this reason that in 2017, a new paragraph was added to the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians: “I will attend to my own health, well being and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard”.