Introduction: Substance abuse among anesthesiologists is a serious occupational health issue, impacting patient safety and the quality of care provided.We aimed to identify the prevalence, determinants, and impacts of abusive self-medication with opioid and non-opioid anesthetics among anesthesiologists and propose prevention and monitoring strategies.Methods: This is an integrative review conducted from February to November 2024 in the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, LILACS, Web of Science, and BVS databases. Screening was performed in Rayyan, and lexical and thematic analyses were conducted using IRAMuTeQ. The quality of studies was assessed using JBI, NOS, SANRA, CASP, and GRADE tools, applied according to each study’s methodology. A total of 20 studies were included, categorized according to patterns of abuse, occupational factors, and professional impacts.Results: The mean prevalence of opioid and non-opioid abuse among professionals was 42.03 ± 22.03. The most commonly abused opioids were fentanyl and sufentanil, followed by propofol and benzodiazepines. Major associated factors included excessive workload, chronic stress, and occupational exposure, while the consequences encompassed overdose, deterioration of mental health, and increased risk of medical errors. Preventive strategies, such as toxicological screening and rehabilitation programs, demonstrated variable effectiveness, limited by institutional barriers, professional stigma, and regulatory deficiencies.Conclusion: The findings reveal significant variability in the prevalence of substance abuse among anesthesiologists and the influence of occupational, psychological, and institutional factors. While intervention strategies show potential, they lack robust evidence. There is a pressing need for institutional policies that promote safe environments, reduce stigma, and strengthen preventive actions.
Ribeiro et al. (Wed,) studied this question.