Impaired Physicians: Definition, Reporting, and Implications

Research on depression, suicidality, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions in physicians and physicians-in-training reveals that these professionals struggle with higher rates of these potentially impairing conditions than the general population. Multiple regulatory bodies are involved in the assessment and treatment of impaired physicians, including the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Physician Health Programs (PHPs), and individual state medical boards. States vary in their language of assessment, implementation of PHP components, and resulting outcomes. This article summarizes research on the impact of different state approaches to reporting requirements and treatments, and the impact of not reporting impairment. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2024;54(10):e282–e286.]