Although polygraphs (“lie-detector” tests) are considered too unreliable to be admissible in federal and most state courts, physicians are often being forced to submit to them in physician health programs (PHPs), writes Lawrence Huntoon, M.D., Ph.D., in the summer issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
Although intended to help rehabilitate physicians with substance abuse problems, PHPs are sometimes used as a mechanism to target and destroy physicians, even when there is no credible evidence of a drug or alcohol problem, Dr. Huntoon writes.
“Being referred to a…[PHP] is often a very stressful and traumatic experience. Most physicians likely have no idea what to expect,” he states.
Even physicians who have no history of alcohol or substance abuse will routinely be subjected to drug and alcohol testing. They could be labeled as having an alcohol use disorder based on alcohol metabolite testing. After a single episode of low-level drinking, say wine with dinner, it may take one to two weeks for phosphatidyl ethanol (PEth) to clear from a person’s blood, he points out.
“This false diagnosis is then used by the treatment center to justify extended and expensive in-patient treatment, long-term monitoring, and periodic reevaluations, thus securing a generous revenue stream to the treatment center for years to come.”
Increasingly, PHP/treatment centers are using polygraph testing in their assessments and fitness-for-duty determinations, Dr. Huntoon reports. Participants are told they must submit to .all requirements or get an adverse report that could result in loss of licensure or student or resident status.
Dr. Huntoon summarizes the history of polygraph testing, major failures resulting from its unreliability, and court rulings. He describes what the person can expect to experience during the testing.
Dr. Huntoon concludes that coercing physicians to consent to polygraph testing is “abhorrent and blatantly unethical,” and that “requiring a physician to pass a polygraph test in order to be cleared to return to work typifies a PHP culture of abuse for profit.”
“Federal legislation is needed, similar to the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, he states.
The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons is published by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), a national organization representing physicians in all specialties since 1943.
PDF of Article: https://jpands.org/vol31no2/huntoon.pdf
