[Identification and control of workers that pose a risk to others in the health field]

Working in health care increases the probability that an impaired worker be hazardous for third persons.

A literature review concerning identification, intervention, and treatment of hazardous health care workers is here reported.

Published reports of health care worker-to-patient transmission of bloodborne infections, and papers concerning the so-called "impaired physician", have been reviewed.

According to European directives on workers' health and safety, the occupational health physician charged of medical surveillance of hospital workers is often mandated to manage impaired professionals.

Strategies for early identification, treatment and rehabilitation of impaired physicians are reviewed and suggestions for preventive action are given.