Whereas the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons supports responsible review of physician performance in the workplace in the interest of protecting the safety and quality of patient care;
Whereas the practice of making professional credentials contingent upon compliance with orders for mental health evaluation and treatment is coercive to physicians facing allegations of impairment;
Whereas both procedural and substantive due process are often lacking in the process of ordering physicians to submit to PFFDEs and other forms of mental health screening, assessment and treatment;
Whereas coercive practices in ordering and conducting PFFDEs pose grave risks of harm to subject physicians;
Whereas allegations of impairment can be used as a form of retaliation or a way to resolve workplace disputes by putting one party at a disadvantage, and careers are often ruined as a result, and
Whereas in recognition of the fact that the overuse and misuse of mandatory mental health screening and treatment for physicians is a growing problem nationwide, be it therefore
Resolved that the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons:
- condemns the abuse and misuse of psychiatry in the process of physician psychological fitness for duty evaluation (PFFDE) and treatment;
- declares that abuse and misuse of psychiatry occur in physician PFFDE when referrals or orders for evaluation, treatment, or monitoring are made to support illegitimate organizational, social, or political objectives;
- declares that abuse and misuse of psychiatry also occur in physician PFFDE when the evaluee is denied full due process and/or is wrongfully harmed by the limitation of due process by denial of knowledge of or timely access to available administrative and legal remedies in referral, evaluation, treatment, or monitoring;
- declares that all physicians who participate in physician PFFDE should strive to expose corrupt, incompetent, or unethical conduct in referring entities and practitioners in the field, and
- declares that all physicians who participate in physician PFFDE should strive to mitigate any harms to physician-patients that result from the medical regulatory, disciplinary, or coerced rehabilitative process.
