Prescribing of Controlled Substances for Non-Patients in the Educational Setting: Review of the Ethical, Legal, and Moral Dilemma for Residents

Abstract

Prescription drug abuse is an enormous problem in modern society. Studies have shown that it results in more injuries and deaths to Americans than all illegal drugs combined.1 In this review, the author discusses the prescribing of controlled substances by residents as it relates to intercollegial and other non-patient workplace encounters. Physician drug abuse, medical/legal issues regarding controlled substance prescriptions, and ethical conflicts will be discussed. These issues will be specifically addressed as they relate to the academic institutions where residents can potentially be placed in a moral, ethical and legal dilemma by supervisors and co-workers. Finally, a recommendation for an institutional policy will be suggested to help residents and other physicians recognize and deal with drug seeking behavior by coworkers. Also, a recommenda­tion regarding strict institutional regulation of resident prescription practices regarding controlled substances will be presented. Keywords: ethics, prescribing, controlled substances, residents