Addiction Treatment – American College of Physicians Legitimizes Discrimination

Image (c) Dominik Gwarek

Many readers of the addictions guidesite will have had personal experience of discrimination within the healthcare system. People with addictions are among the most stigmatized of all patient groups, and drug users in particular, suffer from the judgements of health professionals.

Sometimes, this is a result of prejudice or ignorance. Sometimes, it is the result of self-interest. And sometimes, it is the result of financial pressures from within the healthcare system that provides care.

In the past, I have blogged about this phenomenon, asking the question: “Do only nice people deserve drugs?” Ironically, it is typically the physician that starts the patient on this process of addiction, offering pain medications rather than multidisciplinary treatment in a pain clinic to manage pain. When a patient moves from being a “deserving pain patient” to a “drug-seeking addict,” they may be cut off from access to drugs, such as painkillers, that they have become emotionally and physically dependent on. This observation isn’t anecdotal, it’s based on research with physicians.

OK. That’s the reality. We are all human, and even doctors make mistakes. But now the College of Physicians is attempting to legitimize discrimination by doctors by changing the fundamental principles on which medical practice is based.

Shrouded in the apparently well-meaning term of “social justice,” Dr Rich, a staunch advocate for patients’ rights argues that this amounts to rationing of healthcare resources. This rationing will be at the discretion of the healthcare provider. So now, instead of being a human failing on the part of the individual physician, discriminating against patients will be an accepted part of medical practice.

This issue, and it’s implications for patients, is very clearly explained by Trisha Torrey, About.com’s Patient Empowerment Guide.

Have you suffered from discrimination by a healthcare professional? Share your comments here.

American College of Physicians Legitimizes Discrimination originally appeared on About.com Addictions on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 17:39:14.

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