Challenging cognitive cases among physician populations: case vignettes and recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Physicians are not immune to cognitive impairment. Because of the risks created by practising doctors with these issues, some have suggested developing objective, population-specific measures of evaluation and screening guidelines to assess dysfunction. However, there is very little published information from which to construct such resources.

AIMS: To highlight the presentation characteristics and provide evaluation recommendations specific to the needs of physicians with actual or presumed cognitive impairment.

METHODS: A retrospective database and chart review of cognitively impaired doctors who presented to a physician health programme (PHP). Complex cases were highlighted using simple descriptives and clinical vignettes.

RESULTS: A total of 124 cases were included. Clients presented with a variety of issues other than cognitive concerns. We identified four principal domains of impairment: (i) diseases of (or in) the brain (48%); (ii) mood/ anxiety disorders or treatment side effects (28%); (iii) substance use (9%) and (iv) traumatic brain injury (7%). Age was not a good predictor of impairment and brief screening using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment demonstrated a ceiling effect with this cohort. Although many clients underwent some type of professional or personal transition, impairment did not necessarily indicate worse functioning after care.

CONCLUSIONS: Physician cognitive evaluations should consider a variety of secondary sources of information, particularly vocational performance reports. It may take time before cognitive impairment can be diagnosed or ruled-out in this population. Prior assumptions, especially for non-cognitive referrals, can lead to inaccurate diagnosis and referrals. PHPs must manage cognitive cases carefully, not only in their clinical complexity but also in their psychosocial aspects.